Riddles for Upper Elementary Kids: A Fun Collection That Adults Can Enjoy Too
As children reach the upper grades of elementary school, they learn a lot and develop stronger thinking skills.
They spend more time playing with friends and expressing their opinions.
A distinctive feature of this stage is strong curiosity, and many children start discovering their own hobbies.
It’s also an important time for nurturing the ability to think deeply about things.
With that in mind, here we’ll introduce riddles that match the upper-grade level and help cultivate thinking skills while having fun.
Riddles use logical thinking and can be enjoyed together with friends.
There are plenty that adults can enjoy too, so be sure to give them a try together!
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Riddles for Upper Elementary Kids! A Fun Collection Adults Can Enjoy Too (11–20)
What gets smaller the bigger it gets?
The bigger it gets, the smaller it becomes… What does that even mean? you might wonder.
“Getting bigger” and “getting smaller” are opposites, and something that gets bigger doesn’t become smaller.
What we need to consider when solving this riddle is how to interpret “bigger.” In this puzzle, “bigger” means “growing.” When you grow, isn’t there something that becomes smaller? You probably experience it often when the seasons change.
The answer is clothes! As your body grows and gets bigger, the clothes you wore last year become too small and no longer fit.
Intermediate riddles for upper elementary school students
Once you figure out the answer, your mind feels refreshed! Here are some ideas for intermediate riddles suitable for upper elementary school students.
Many of you might want to enjoy riddles with friends and family, right? This time, let’s take on some intermediate-level riddles that kids in upper elementary grades and older can enjoy.
For example, there’s a question like: “Which country is always taking on a challenge?” Hints will be provided as time goes on, so feel free to give them a try.
10 pun-based riddles
The time limit is 15 seconds! Here are 10 ideas for pun-based riddles.
You’ll need some tricks to solve riddles smoothly.
One tip is to try converting words in the question into different words.
This time, let’s take on 10 pun riddles.
For example, there’s a question like, “What snack gets asked for its thoughts about summer?” There are hints, too, so people of all ages—from kids to adults—can enjoy them together.
What gets hotter as it gets colder?
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This puzzle is tricky because there are many possible answers.
Things that get hotter as it gets colder… You might be thinking of hand warmers or clothing, but the correct answer is something else.
First, try picturing a winter scene.
List a few things you associate with it, and think about “getting hot” as the keyword.
Also pay close attention to the fact that it’s written in hiragana! The answer is something everyone knows, and you’re likely to see it at least once in summer.
Here’s a hint: it’s something that melts in heat.
15 Winter Riddles
Want to take on a chilly-season challenge? Here are 15 winter riddle ideas.
These riddles are all about winter.
Since the theme is a specific season, it might be easier to picture the answers.
For example: “What grows from top to bottom when it gets cold, and becomes shorter from bottom to top when it gets warm?” Questions like this are included! If you try them while recalling winter scenery, you’ll likely figure out the answers quickly.
Give them a try!
What bug is in the center of the world?
What insect is in the middle of the world? You might be tempted to wonder, “Where is the center of the world?” but this is a riddle you can solve with a flash of insight—no geography knowledge needed.
The key point is that “sekai” (world) is intentionally written in hiragana as せかい.
It could have been written in kanji, which makes this suspicious.
By the way, the correct answer is “a mosquito” (ka).
It’s that blood-sucking pest we all hate in summer.
Why? Because the middle letter of せかい (se-kai) is か (ka)!
Even though it was taken, everyone’s laughing. I wonder why.
I ended up fighting after my friend and I both tried to take it… It’s something every elementary schooler has probably experienced at least once.
Having something taken from you feels awful and makes you sad, right? So let’s try this puzzle.
Why is everyone smiling even though something was ‘taken’? The first thing to think about when solving this is the meaning of the word ‘taken’ (torareta).
It’s deliberately written in hiragana, so try converting it to kanji and imagining what situation it might describe.
The answer is: because it was a photograph.
No matter how many times you call it, it never answers—what is it?
If you call your dad or mom, your teacher or your friends, they all answer you, right? But in this world, there are things that won’t respond no matter how much you call them… What are they? The answer is something you all know well.
The key to solving this riddle is to focus on the hiragana word yondemo.
First, try converting it to kanji.
If you try different options like 呼んでも (even if you call) and 読んでも (even if you read), you’ll arrive at the answer.
By the way, the correct answer is “a book.”
An elevator that can hold ten people broke and fell. Yet no one was injured. Why is that?
See the answer
Because no one was riding (it)/Because nobody was on it.
If an elevator breaks and falls down, normally you’d expect serious injuries, but the key point here is that no one was inside at the time. It says it’s for ten people, but it doesn’t say anyone was riding it. In other words, no one was in the elevator, so no one was injured.
Daddy frog goes ribbit-ribbit-ribbit, Mommy frog goes ribbit-ribbit, so what sound does the baby frog make?
See the answer
I won’t cry.
Young frogs are still in the tadpole stage, so they can’t croak like adult frogs. That’s why the answer is “they don’t cry/make sounds.” Comparing them to the calls of their father and mother helps you notice the differences in development. Not only appearance but also whether they can make sounds is a point of growth.