Simple! A quiz for kids. Let’s develop their thinking skills!
Introducing quizzes for kids!
We’ve put together a wide range of quizzes—from knowledge-based ones that help with learning, to brain-training quizzes that build thinking skills, and fun quizzes like intro quizzes and character quizzes that you can enjoy with friends and family.
If you’re looking for quizzes that elementary school–aged children will love, be sure to check these out.
Quizzes are mental exercises that help you build knowledge and develop creativity.
They let kids enjoy play and study at the same time, so encourage them to keep trying more and more.
Simple! A quiz for kids. Let’s build thinking skills! (1–10)
Flash of inspiration riddle-solving quiz
Where is the boundary between studying and quizzes/riddles? Honestly, I don’t think there is one.
If the questioner and the answerer are having fun together, even something like “What is the name of the temple where Oda Nobunaga, a warlord of the Azuchi–Momoyama period, is said to have been assassinated?” turns from study into a quiz.
The puzzle shows that are hugely popular on TV—even if some of the questions feel a bit like studying—start to feel like recreation as long as everyone’s enjoying themselves.
So go ahead and keep challenging yourselves with your siblings or friends!
World Flags Quiz
By the time children reach the middle grades of elementary school, they often start taking an interest in things overseas.
Kids who belong to a soccer team might be curious about soccer in Italy or Brazil, and those who are into K-pop may think, “I want to visit Korea at least once!” Speaking of foreign countries, there are so many national flags in social studies textbooks that you can’t help but gaze at them.
On the other hand, you might find yourself intrigued by Japan’s flag, which has no flashy elements at all! Quizzes about national flags are also useful for studying social studies.
Flag cards are sold commercially, so consider using them both as teaching materials and for recreation.
Riddle Quiz
I think that when parents teach their children something, making it into a quiz can make it fun for both the teacher and the learner.
Quizzes might seem like just children’s games, but I believe they can be useful in many ways—like breaking the ice with new students or communicating with older people.
Even simple riddles can be wonderful communication tools.
With just one small book of riddles, I think children meeting for the first time can quickly become comfortable and friendly with one another!
Arithmetic Olympiad Problem: ‘How many horse mackerel?’
Do you know Peter Frankl, the famous mathematician who is also a street performer and TV personality? The Math Olympiad is a math competition for children in elementary school and younger that was proposed by Peter Frankl and others and began in 1992.
Some of the problems are so difficult that even University of Tokyo students can’t solve them, and the competition now draws attention from children and adults alike.
If you’re thinking, “Olympic level? No way…,” think again—sometimes a small hint can lead to a clean, satisfying solution.
It would likely be a hit if covered in school lessons, too!
Ten Times Quiz
This quiz starts with “Can you say XX ten times?” Even when you know a trick question is coming, you still end up falling for it, don’t you? A famous example is having someone say “pizza” ten times, then pointing to their elbow and asking, “What’s this?” which makes them answer “knee.” The correct answer is “elbow,” but your mouth ends up saying “knee,” which sounds like “pizza.” This video collects lots of those “say it ten times” quizzes.
Try them out with your friends!
Witty Riddle
Do you know what day January 9 is? It’s actually “Tontchi Day” (Wit Day).
Speaking of tontchi (wordplay riddles), you think of Ikkyu-san—since Ikkyu is associated with 1 and 9, that makes January 9.
Even that itself is a pun and a play on words—how fun! “Tontchi” is written 頓智 and means “quick-witted wisdom that comes out on the spot.” There are all kinds of tontchi, too.
Let’s all get into the spirit with some “tontchi quizzes.” If you draw the questions on a big sheet of poster paper, it could work great for parties and events.
Some of the questions are a bit “tricky” or mischievous, but that’s part of the charm!
Lateral Thinking Quiz
You’ve probably been hearing the term “lateral thinking” a lot lately.
Online and on video platforms, there are tons of quizzes and games that use lateral thinking, sometimes introduced under the name “situation puzzles.” The concept was originally proposed around 1967 by Edward de Bono, and it refers to a method for generating problem-solving ideas without being constrained by conventional wisdom or past experience.
The famous “Egg of Columbus” story—where Columbus stands an egg upright by cracking it—is considered an example of lateral thinking.
These puzzles are rarely solved in a straightforward way.
Why not give them a try yourself?
Kanji fill-in-the-blank quiz
There are many words and expressions that seem perfectly ordinary to adults but feel “hard!” for children.
For example, when something is completely outmatched or the difference in ability is too great, we say “haga tatanai” (literally, “the teeth won’t stand”), but to a child, it might make no sense at all—“Do teeth stand?” The kind of experiential knowledge naturally absorbed from everyday reading and life can be filled in endlessly by a child’s curiosity.
In that sense, kanji fill-in-the-blank quizzes might be word games that children and adults can enjoy on the same level.
Highly recommended for family recreation!
Switcheroo Quiz
A “switcheroo quiz” where you line up picture cards, have your partner memorize them, then swap out some for different cards and ask what changed.
It helps improve memory! Start with about three cards and gradually increase the number to adjust the difficulty.
You can also increase the number of cards you swap to make it progressively harder.
Beyond using cards, you can enjoy variations too—like swapping one of the Hina dolls displayed for Hinamatsuri and guessing which doll was changed.
Who am I? Quiz – Characters Edition
This is a quiz where you guess a character based on hints revealed little by little.
For example: “They look like a child, they wear glasses, and they really like solving mysteries.” → The answer is Conan Edogawa, the protagonist of Detective Conan.
There are lots of quizzes like this on the internet and video sites, so try searching for them if you get the chance! If you make your own questions, choosing an obscure character might make it impossible to reach the right answer, so try to use well-known characters that everyone knows.
Doraemon, Chibi Maruko-chan, or Pretty Cure would be good choices!