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.
Looking for fun riddles for the whole family? Here are 20 innocent riddles, with the answer right below each one, about animals, things around the house, nature and food. Read one aloud, let everybody think, then reveal the answer. They work at the dinner table, in the car and even in the supermarket line.
Kids understand them and grown-ups enjoy solving them too. Nobody needs to know anything hard: just look around and use your imagination. And the laughter comes along for free, especially when grandpa guesses wrong on purpose.
Animal riddles
Start with the animals, which are the little ones' favorites. Imitating the animal sound after the answer is guaranteed to get a laugh.
- I have four paws, I love to chew a bone, and I wag my tail when you come home. Who am I? Answer: the dog.
- What am I? I am furry, I nap on the couch and I purr when you pet me. Answer: the cat.
- I live near the pond, I sing at night, and when I was a baby I was a tadpole. Answer: the frog.
- I am a cousin of the horse, but I wear black and white striped pajamas. Answer: the zebra.
- I carry my house on my back and I walk very, very slowly. Answer: the turtle.
Riddles about things at home
Here it pays to look around. Let your child search for the answer with their eyes around the room, like a treasure hunt.
- I have hands but I cannot shake yours, and I keep telling you that time is passing. Answer: the clock.
- I have four legs and I never go anywhere. You sit on me to eat and to do homework. Answer: the chair.
- I hang on the wall, I show your face, and I never tell what I saw. Answer: the mirror.
- What am I? I have doors but I am not a house, and I keep your clothes neatly folded. Answer: the closet.
- I am soft, I live on the bed and I hear all your dreams without telling anyone. Answer: the pillow.
Riddles about nature
For these, take the game to the backyard or the window. Looking at the sky while thinking helps kids find the answer.
- I show up in the morning, I warm your day and I go to sleep when it gets dark. Answer: the sun.
- I glow at night but I have no light of my own, and I keep changing shape in the sky. Answer: the moon.
- I fall from the sky without hurting, I water the garden and I help plants grow. Answer: the rain.
- I have a trunk, I have branches, I have leaves, and I give shade to anyone who wants to rest. Answer: the tree.
- I am full of colors, I show up after the rain, and nobody can ever touch me. Answer: the rainbow.
Food riddles
These tend to make people hungry, so keep a snack nearby. The child who guesses right gets to pick the next riddle.
- I am yellow outside, white inside, and monkeys love to peel me. Answer: the banana.
- I am red, I have tiny seeds on the outside, and I show up in cakes and ice cream. Answer: the strawberry.
- I am round, I grow in the orchard, and they say one a day keeps you strong. Answer: the apple.
- I am cold and sweet, and if you take too long to eat me, I melt. Answer: the ice cream.
- I come out of the oven warm, with a soft middle and a crunchy crust. Answer: the bread.
How to play as a family
The secret is not to rush. Read the riddle slowly, repeat it if somebody asks, and give everyone a few seconds to think. If the group gets stuck, offer a clue like «it is in the kitchen» or «it lives in water». That way everybody reaches the answer on their own and feels clever.
A fun idea is a championship with no losers: each person in the family reads one riddle, and everybody tries to guess. Whoever gets it right earns a round of applause, and whoever misses earns a hug.
Once you know a few by heart, swap roles. The child reads and the adults try to guess, getting it wrong on purpose now and then. They will laugh and want to invent new riddles.
For every age
With kids ages 4 and 5, pick the animal and food riddles, which are about things they know well. Read one at a time and cheer every guess. If your child says «doggy» instead of «dog», that is exactly right.
Kids ages 6 to 8 can read on their own and invent riddles of their own. Ask for one about something in their bedroom or their favorite fruit. It is a nice way to practice writing and reasoning without feeling like homework.
Parents and grandparents join in as partners. The nature riddles often start nice chats about the weather, the sky and the garden, and everybody learns something.
After the riddles
If the kids want to keep playing, there is plenty of free stuff here. You can play Pigúiça's game right in the browser, with no sign-up and no ads, or print some coloring pages and color the animals and fruits from the riddles. And if you have not met the blue-eyed husky puppy behind it all, read who Pigúiça is.
The adventures of Pigúiça and her friend Fofuxo in the Magic Garden are also in the children's book Dogavios, a lovely bedtime read.
Frequently asked questions
What ages are these riddles for?
They were written for the whole family. Kids ages 4 to 8 have fun with them, and grown-ups and grandparents join in as partners.
What should I do when nobody gets the riddle?
Give a clue about where the thing is or what it does. If nobody gets there anyway, share the answer with a smile and move on to the next one.
Can I use the riddles at parties and in class?
Yes. They work as an icebreaker at birthdays and as a warm-up in the classroom, because the content is simple and innocent.
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.
