Back to School Riddles
A riddle is a quick, friendly way to start a lesson. These classroom teasers work as morning warm-ups or early-finisher activities.
Tip: Short and simple wins at a party: pick the riddles you can read in one breath.
97 riddles in this collection, page 1 of 3. Tap a riddle for the answer, or open it for the full explanation.
The eraser is bigger than the student, and the student is bigger than the book. Which one is the smallest?
A row goes: ruler, ruler, desk, ruler, ruler, desk, ruler, ruler. What comes next?
Zoe gets 7 rulers on Monday and 7 rulers on Tuesday, then gives away 6. How many rulers are left?
Omar has 14 erasers and Lily has 5. How many more erasers does Omar have?
There are 12 books in a box and 6 are taken out. How many books are left?
A class of 24 students each gives a valentine to every other student... if each student gives 2, how many valentines are given in total?
Why did the student eat his homework?
Five runners finish a school marathon, and only these facts survive. Felix finished ahead of Hugo. Boris finished ahead of Felix. Gwen finished ahead of Boris. Hugo finished ahead of Aria. Who finished last?
I am a small paper note you pass to a friend that says "I like you." What am I?
Five runners finish a school marathon, and only these facts survive. Gwen finished ahead of Luca. Nico finished ahead of Boris. Luca finished ahead of Nico. Boris finished ahead of Pavel. Who finished second?
The ruler is bigger than the book, and the eraser is bigger than the ruler. Which one is the middle size?
Three kids race to build the tallest eraser tower. Omar finished before Ben. Ben finished before Eli. Who finished last?
A row goes: book, book, eraser, book, book, eraser, book, book. What comes next?
Zoe has 6 rulers. Leo has twice as many. How many rulers do they have together?
Lily counts erasers in a pattern: 2, 4, 6, 8. How many erasers come next?
Mia puts 3 books in each of 5 boxes. How many books is that altogether?
Half of the 20 pencils on the table are taken away. How many pencils are left on the table?
I am sent home in a backpack and you must do me at night. What am I?
I have lead but I am not heavy, and I write until I am worn down. What am I?
Five runners finish a school marathon, and only these facts survive. Luca finished ahead of Felix. Opal finished ahead of Jonas. Jonas finished ahead of Nico. Felix finished ahead of Opal. Who finished last?
Why did the teacher wear sunglasses to class?
Five runners finish a school marathon, and only these facts survive. Boris finished ahead of Kira. Mara finished ahead of Boris. Iris finished ahead of Mara. Kira finished ahead of Aria. Who finished last?
I am sticky and sweet and wrapped in paper, and you collect me from neighbors' doors. What am I?
The pencil is bigger than the ruler, and the ruler is bigger than the book. Which one is the smallest?
Three kids race to build the tallest pencil tower. Ava finished before Ida. Ida finished before Max. Who finished last?
Lily makes 2 rows of 4 erasers and adds 4 more at the end. How many erasers are there in all?
30 books are shared equally among 5 friends. How many books does each friend get?
Ava has 6 students and finds 7 more. How many students does Ava have now?
Leo gets 3 desks on Monday and 8 desks on Tuesday, then gives away 3. How many desks are left?
I am yellow and I roll with wheels to take students to school. What am I?
Five runners finish a school marathon, and only these facts survive. Jonas finished ahead of Nico. Elena finished ahead of Jonas. Mara finished ahead of Dmitri. Nico finished ahead of Mara. Who finished last?
Five runners finish a school marathon, and only these facts survive. Gwen finished ahead of Kira. Opal finished ahead of Boris. Boris finished ahead of Aria. Kira finished ahead of Opal. Who finished first?
Five runners finish a school marathon, and only these facts survive. Kira finished ahead of Boris. Luca finished ahead of Iris. Carmen finished ahead of Luca. Iris finished ahead of Kira. Who finished third?
Frequently asked questions
- When should I share these?
- Publish or print them a week or two ahead of August and September.
- Are the answers included?
- Yes. Tap "Show answer" under each riddle, or open the riddle page for the full explanation.