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Fun for adults too! Trick questions for elementary school kids

Fun for adults too! Trick questions for elementary school kids

Last updated:2025/9/14

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.

Elementary school children are in a phase of strong curiosity.

As they move up through the grades, their ability to understand humor grows rapidly.

They value communication with friends and sometimes think from their own unique perspectives.

Here, we introduce fun trick quizzes for elementary schoolers that make the most of these traits! The questions are simple, but they can draw out unexpected answers and unique ways of thinking.

There are plenty of quizzes that adults can enjoy too, so kids and grown-ups alike can think together, laugh, and have a great time!

Fun for adults too! Trick questions for elementary schoolers (1–10)

What is in the middle of Hokkaido?

Did everyone solve it? #trickQuiz #riddle #brainTraining

What is in the middle of Hokkaido?

This is a question that those in the know will understand in an instant! Hokkaido is located at the northernmost part of the Japanese archipelago.

It’s known above all for its delicious food.

Ramen, seafood, and the classic souvenir Shiroi Koibito are things many of you have probably tried at least once.

Now, here’s the key to solving the puzzle: first, forget about trying to derive the answer from knowledge like geography or shipment volumes.

You don’t need any of that—if you can read the problem statement, you can answer it.

The hint is to focus on the characters in “Hokkaido” (北海道)!

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Why are there sneakers whose laces never come undone no matter how much you run around?

@igosso.youtube
Translation Trick quiz Igossou
♪ Original Song – Igossou [YouTube] – Igossou [YouTube]

Sneaker laces sometimes come undone while you’re wearing them, right? You can just retie them when they come loose, but if your hands are full, you end up walking with untied laces—your shoes feel like they’re about to slip off, and you might even trip over the laces.

A lot of people probably have those quietly annoying memories.

Here’s a quiz about lace-up sneakers! Sneakers whose laces never come undone no matter how much you run around… sounds like a dream product, doesn’t it? But in fact, kids are already wearing this dream-like item.

You might figure out the answer just by looking at your own sneakers!

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Today is Monday. Tomorrow is Tuesday. What day is the day after tomorrow?

@20ennochoco
Share voice Voice Library Fountain pen
♬ Slow and comical BGM(1083863) – Blanket

When trying to answer this question, wouldn’t most people say, “You’re supposed to answer Wednesday, but the trick is that the answer is Thursday!”? That’s what common sense suggests, right? In fact, if a small child answered that way, I’d be tempted to mark it correct—they’re being clever.

However, the answer is actually neither Wednesday nor Thursday.

The key to finding the answer is to focus on the word “asatte” in the problem statement.

Look closely: while “today” and “tomorrow” are written in kanji, “asatte” is written in hiragana… What does that imply?

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Turn a kitten upside down and it’s still a kitten. What do you get if you turn a puppy upside down?

@igosso.youtube
Translation Trick quiz Igossou
♪ Original Song – Igossou [YouTube] – Igossou [YouTube]

Let’s try a quiz about animals.

If you turn a kitten upside down, it’s still a kitten; if you turn a puppy upside down, it becomes… what? You’ll probably think, “Kitten is ‘koneko’… sure, even read backwards it’s still ‘koneko,’” and then tackle the question.

But if you follow that line of thinking, a puppy is ‘koinu,’ which can’t be read the other way around, and you’ll get stuck.

That’s when you should remember it’s a trick question.

That very line of thinking is the trick.

If you simply state the fact as it is, that’s the correct answer.

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What is something you use but cannot own?

Scissors, pencils, erasers, rulers… most tools you’re familiar with are basically things you hold in your hand to use, right? So let’s try a riddle: “What can be used but cannot be held?” You might think of various tools, but you won’t easily get the right answer if you only think in terms of “objects.” First, try considering things you can use that aren’t objects.

By the way, the answer is “your name.” You use it when introducing yourself or when you want friends to know about you, but you certainly can’t “hold” it.

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What is the name of the old man who appears in Urashima Taro?

@igosso.youtube
Translation Trick quiz Igossou
♪ Original Song – Igossou [YouTube] – Igossou [YouTube]

Speaking of Urashima Taro, it’s known as the story where he rides a turtle to the Dragon Palace, spends what feels like only a short time there, and when he returns, many years have passed in the world he came from and not a single acquaintance remains.

It’s a beautiful yet sorrowful tale, and surely everyone, from children to adults, has read it at least once.

Now, recall the story carefully and try this challenge.

If you’re thinking, “Did Urashima Taro have a grandfather?” you won’t reach the right answer.

The hint is to remember what happened to Urashima Taro when he opened the tamatebako (jeweled box)!

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There are 5 candies. If you lick one, how many are there?

@igosso.youtube
Translation Trick quiz Igossou
♪ Original Song – Igossou [YouTube] – Igossou [YouTube]

It seems like a question that would trip up adults more than children.

When you read the problem statement, you instinctively want to treat it like an arithmetic problem and think, “5 – 1 = 4, so the answer is 4!” But remember, it’s a trick question.

The hint to solving it is that the candy wasn’t given to someone else, nor did it disappear.

If you think about how many candies you have after you lick one, you should arrive at the correct answer.

An elementary school student with a flexible mind might solve it right away!

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