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Christmas riddles for kids are an easy way to make the wait for dinner more fun, with no screens and no cost. Below you will find 25 riddles with the answer right after each one, sorted by difficulty: easy ones for ages 3 to 5, medium ones for ages 6 and 7, and challenge riddles for ages 8 and up and the whole family. Just read one out loud and wait for the guess.
For more guessing games all year, try our riddles for kids with answers.
Easy Christmas riddles (ages 3 to 5)
Simple clues: color, sound and shape. Act them out, and if your child gets stuck, give a second clue instead of the answer.
- I am green and tall, I wear lights and ornaments, and I stand inside your house in December. What am I? Answer: a Christmas tree.
- I twinkle on top of the tree and in the night sky. What am I? Answer: a star.
- I come wrapped in paper with a bow on top, and everyone wants to open me. What am I? Answer: a present.
- I am white and cold, I fall from the sky, and I melt in your hand. What am I? Answer: snow.
- I have a white beard and a red suit, and I say «Ho, ho, ho!» Who am I? Answer: Santa Claus.
- I go jingle and ding-dong on Christmas Eve. What am I? Answer: a bell.
- I come out of the oven smelling sweet, and I can be shaped like a star or a little man. What am I? Answer: a Christmas cookie (maybe a gingerbread man!).
- I have big antlers, I live where it snows, and I pull Santa’s sleigh. What am I? Answer: a reindeer.
Medium Christmas riddles (ages 6 and 7)
These ask kids to combine two clues. Ask why they guessed what they did: the thinking counts as much as the answer.
- I have a carrot nose and coal eyes, and I am scared of sunny days. What am I? Answer: a snowman.
- I hang by the fireplace with just one foot, and I hope to be full by morning. What am I? Answer: a Christmas stocking.
- I have no wheels, but I slide over snow and fly across the sky once a year. What am I? Answer: Santa’s sleigh.
- The longer I burn, the shorter I get, and I make the dinner table glow. What am I? Answer: a candle.
- There are lots of us, we are tiny, we blink in every color and we live on a string. What are we? Answer: Christmas lights.
- Kids write me, fold me into an envelope and send me all the way to the North Pole. What am I? Answer: a letter to Santa.
- I keep the living room warm, and in the stories Santa comes down the chimney right into me. What am I? Answer: the fireplace.
- I am round and shiny and I hang on the tree, but I am not a fruit. What am I? Answer: an ornament.
- My nose is so red and bright that I lead the sleigh on foggy nights. Who am I? Answer: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Challenge Christmas riddles (ages 8 and the whole family)
For confident readers and for grandparents and cousins who want to compete. A few are classic joke riddles with a pun.
- What did the gingerbread man put on his bed? Answer: a cookie sheet!
- What do you call a snowman in July? Answer: a puddle.
- I am round like a wheel but I never roll, and I hang on the front door to say welcome. What am I? Answer: a wreath.
- I have teeth but I never bite, and I help crack the nuts at holiday time. What am I? Answer: a nutcracker.
- I have 24 little doors, you open one each day, and I count down to Christmas. What am I? Answer: an Advent calendar.
- Everyone can give me, everyone can get me, I cost nothing and I do not fit in any box. What am I? Answer: a hug.
- Why is Santa so good at karate? Answer: because he has a black belt!
- What do elves learn in school? Answer: the elf-abet!
How to use these riddles at Christmas dinner or Secret Santa
At Christmas dinner, riddles save the wait before the food is ready. Write each one on a slip of paper, fold it and drop it in a jar or a stocking. Everyone draws one and reads it aloud, and the first right guess wins a point.
For a family Secret Santa, the gift giver reads a riddle before giving clues about who they drew. The game only moves on once someone solves it, so the kids really take part.
You can also tape a riddle to each gift: no answer, no opening. Still deciding what to give? See our Christmas gift ideas for kids by age.
Tips to keep the game fun
Read slowly and repeat as often as needed. With mixed ages, each child answers riddles from their own group. And accept creative answers: «fairy lights» instead of «Christmas lights» counts.
At the end, ask the kids to invent their own riddles. It usually brings the funniest answers of the night.
Little riddle fans may also love Pigúiça, the blue-eyed husky puppy from the book Dogavios. She has a free browser game, with no sign-up and no ads, nice for after dinner.
Frequently asked questions
At what age can kids understand riddles?
Around age 3, with concrete clues like color and sound. By 6 or 7, they combine clues and start to get puns.
How can I make Christmas riddles more fun?
Play in teams, ring a bell to answer and offer a silly prize, like picking the next song.
Can I print these riddles?
Yes. Copy the list, cut it into strips and keep them in a jar, ready for dinner or Secret Santa.
Your next adventure could be a moment together.
Now that you have met Pigúiça here, discover the story behind her world. See the illustrations, read the beginning and choose a book to share with your child, one page at a time.
Your next adventure could be a moment together.
Now that you have met Pigúiça here, discover the story behind her world. See the illustrations, read the beginning and choose a book to share with your child, one page at a time.
