Let's Think Outside the Box! A Collection of Challenging Riddles for Kids
“Huh? The kids solved this problem faster than the adults!” That’s the magic of riddles—you can have those surprising experiences.
Adults tend to be bound by fixed ideas, while children tackle problems with flexible thinking, don’t they?
In this article, we’ll introduce challenging riddles for kids that parents and children can enjoy together.
They don’t just foster thinking and concentration—thanks to those eye-opening “Aha!” answers, they might boost your knowledge and spark of insight, too.
Try them for your own skill-building, or as a fun activity with family and friends!
Let’s loosen up our minds! A collection of tricky riddles for kids (1–10)
A set of riddles that only a genius could solve completely
This collection brings together some of the most challenging riddles.
If you can solve them, you might just be at genius level! Even if you can’t solve them all, simply thinking them through makes for great brain training, so be sure to give them a try.
20 fun riddles you can enjoy!
Here are ideas for 20 fun riddles with a 15-second time limit! It’s a wonderful way for kids to enjoy riddles while deepening their knowledge.
For example, a unique question like, “What sport uses a ball but has no goal and no opponent?” helps develop thinking skills and flexible reasoning.
With the 15-second time limit, answering quickly can also boost concentration.
It’s a great way to experience the joy of expanding knowledge!
High-level advanced riddles
Let’s put our heads together and think! Here are some ideas for high-level, advanced riddles.
By tackling these riddles, you can expect to sharpen your quick thinking and cultivate your imagination! For example, the question “What kind of sushi is sandwiched in a newspaper?” has a clever twist, and you won’t reach the answer by thinking about it in a straightforward way.
The higher the difficulty, the greater the sense of accomplishment when you solve it—perfect brain exercise, right? It’s also great that you can enjoy taking on the challenge with friends and family.
A Riddle Showdown, Gotta Win! – Volume 2
Let me introduce “Let’s Play with Nebaaru-kun! Riddle Showdown Neba~ Vol.
2,” featuring Nebaaru-kun, the unofficial mascot character of Ibaraki Prefecture, known for his natto motif, a local specialty.
His unique stretchy-and-squishy movements make occasional appearances on variety shows.
Join Nebaaru-kun and take on riddles together! For example, one question asks: “What home appliance gives you sweets when you buy it?” Children can develop their thinking skills as they try to figure out the answers.
It’s delightful to deepen knowledge through riddles alongside the adorable Nebaaru-kun.
A riddle where inspiration is the key
This is a riddle that requires a flash of insight to reach the correct answer.
Once you know the answer, it feels very simple, but without that insight, you can’t figure it out no matter how long you try.
When the insight hits, it feels great—and it seems good for your brain, too.
A riddle that even adults find difficult, but feels refreshing when you solve it
Let’s aim for a perfect score and give it our best! Here are some ideas for riddles that are tough even for adults but feel so satisfying when you solve them.
These ideas are fun because you have to twist your thinking and work your way to the answer.
For example, a question like “What is something you read in 35 to 42 days?” gives you that unbeatable rush the moment the answer clicks while you’re thinking it through.
By tackling these kinds of brainteasers, kids can develop persistence and the ability to think things through.
It’s also great that adults can join in too—making it a fun way for family and friends to get excited together and share that refreshing sense of accomplishment!
A slightly tricky riddle
Once you’re used to riddles, give these a try! Here are some ideas for slightly tricky, brain-teasing riddles.
They’re fun challenges for kids who love riddles and have gotten the hang of playing them.
For example, the question “What are the different kinds of ito (threads) you see in a classroom?” looks simple at first glance, but because it’s a trick riddle, it takes some real thinking.
By loosening up your mind and working out the answers, you can further develop flexible, creative thinking.