Riddles for 3rd Graders With Answers
Updated · Best Riddles With Answers editorial team
Quick answer: These 42 riddles for 3rd graders are pitched at eight and nine-year-olds who can read well and enjoy a challenge. You will find object riddles, number puzzles with the working shown, word tricks and a few logic problems. Every riddle has an answer, so they work for teachers, parents and kids who want to quiz each other.
Easy Riddles For 3rd Graders
I am a flat picture of a place that shows roads, rivers and borders. A pirate follows me to find buried treasure. What am I?
A map.
I have lots of teeth, but I never chew. I lock together to close your jacket. What am I?
A zipper.
I go up and down all day, but I never move. What am I?
Stairs.
I have an eye but I cannot see. I spin over the ocean and bring wild wind and rain. What am I?
A hurricane.
I have three feet, but I cannot walk. You can use me to measure a garden. What am I?
A yardstick. It is three feet long.
I can be cracked, told and played, and everyone enjoys me. What am I?
A joke.
You put me on a table, you cut me, but you never eat me. What am I?
A deck of cards.
I can travel all around the world while staying in one corner. What am I?
A stamp on an envelope.
I am hidden under the ground, and I drink water for the plant above. What am I?
Roots.
I have a red line inside that climbs up when it is hot. What am I?
A thermometer.
At the fair, I spin round and round with painted horses that never gallop away. What am I?
A merry-go-round.
I am the planet with the famous rings made of ice and rock. What planet am I?
Saturn.
Trickier Riddles For 3rd Graders
A farmer has 17 sheep. All but 9 run away. How many sheep are left?
9. All but 9 means 9 stay.
I am a three-digit number. All my digits are the same, and they add up to 12. What number am I?
444, because 4 + 4 + 4 = 12.
I am a number. If you multiply me by 3 and then add 4, you get 19. What number am I?
5, because 5 x 3 = 15 and 15 + 4 = 19.
Two fathers and two sons go fishing. Each one catches one fish, and they bring home only three fish. How?
There were only three people: a grandfather, his son and his grandson.
A rooster lays an egg on top of a barn roof. Which way does the egg roll?
Neither way. Roosters do not lay eggs.
A bus has 12 passengers. At the next stop 5 get off and 3 get on. How many passengers are on the bus now?
10, because 12 - 5 + 3 = 10.
Which is heavier: a kilogram of feathers or a kilogram of stones?
Neither. Both weigh one kilogram.
What word that names a tool for tracking planes reads the same backward as forward?
Radar.
Three bicycles and two cars are parked in a row. How many wheels are there altogether?
14, because 3 x 2 = 6 and 2 x 4 = 8, and 6 + 8 = 14.
A man pushes his car up to a hotel and tells the owner he is bankrupt. What is he doing?
Playing the board game Monopoly.
I am an odd number. Take away one letter and I become even. What number am I?
Seven. Remove the S and you get 'even'.
What is in the middle of March?
The letter R.
Hard Riddles For 3rd Graders
A clock takes 5 seconds to strike 6 o'clock, with the same gap between every strike. How long does it take to strike 12?
11 seconds. Six strikes have 5 gaps of 1 second each; twelve strikes have 11 gaps.
What day is it two days after the day before yesterday?
Today. The day before yesterday plus two days is today.
A man looks at a photo and says: Brothers and sisters I have none, but that man's father is my father's son. Who is in the photo?
His own son. With no brothers, 'my father's son' is the speaker himself, so the man in the photo is the speaker's son.
A plane crashes exactly on the border between two countries. In which country do they bury the survivors?
Nowhere. You do not bury survivors.
Mary's father has five daughters named Nana, Nene, Nini and Nono. What is the name of the fifth daughter?
Mary.
Three doctors say Robert is their brother. Robert says he has no brothers. Nobody is lying. How?
The three doctors are Robert's sisters.
A boy is hurt in an accident, and the surgeon says: I cannot operate, he is my son. The surgeon is not his father. Who is the surgeon?
His mother.
What question can you never answer yes to?
Are you asleep?
Which number does not belong? 16, 25, 36, 40
40. The others are square numbers: 4 x 4, 5 x 5 and 6 x 6.
What word has 26 letters but only three syllables?
The alphabet.
Quick-Fire Riddles For 3rd Graders
What appears once in a year, twice in a week, but never in a day?
The letter E.
I have twelve inches, but I am not a ruler. I am on the end of your leg. What am I?
A foot.
What kind of ear can never hear a sound?
An ear of corn.
What kind of ship has two mates but no captain?
A relationship.
You have 8 sweets. You eat half of them, and then you eat 2 more. How many sweets are left?
2, because half of 8 is 4, and 4 - 2 = 2.
Take away the whole and some still remains. What word am I?
Wholesome. Remove 'whole' and 'some' is left.
What starts out hard and gets soft as you chew it?
Bubble gum.
How to Use These Riddles
Third graders can handle riddles with several steps, so ask them to show their thinking. For the number riddles, have them write the sum before saying the answer. For the word riddles, ask them to spell out the trick, such as seven without its S.
Try a team challenge. Read a hard riddle, let each group discuss for one minute, and award a point for a correct answer and a bonus point for the best explanation. Explaining why a wrong answer fails is just as valuable as finding the right one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are good riddles for 3rd graders?
Good third-grade riddles mix object clues, simple number logic and word tricks. They should be solvable by careful reading, not by knowing obscure facts, and each should have a single clear answer.
Are riddles useful for classroom learning?
Yes. Riddles encourage close reading, flexible thinking and discussion. Number and logic riddles also practise reasoning, and word riddles draw attention to spelling, word parts and double meanings.
How do I make a riddle harder for older kids?
Add a second step or a distracting detail, such as an extra number, or switch from describing an object to a logic situation where the obvious answer is wrong. The answer should still be fair.
What if the riddle seems unfair or confusing?
Some riddles rely on a trick, like the rooster that cannot lay an egg. Explain the trick after the answer so children see why it works, and then they can use the same idea in their own riddles.
