30+ Long Riddles To Keep Kids Occupied
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Brain teasers are a brilliant way to get your children to start thinking differently, and logic riddles for kids are really good riddles for developing their problem-solving skills.
It's no secret that laughter is good for your soul, and these complex riddles with answers will amuse and educate kids as they try their hardest to find the answer.
We've hand picked some of the best riddles that are extra long, and dare we say a little bit confusing, for the ultimate brain workout that will keep kids busy for hours.
We've even thrown in the hardest long riddle in the world if you really want to test your skills, so if you fancy yourself as a master of long riddles, try to find the answer to this one to gain the riddle-master crown.
Story Riddles
These clever riddles tell stories that will improve kids' creative thinking by painting a picture that's easy to visualise to help work out the answer.
1. A boy had an accident and was rushed to the emergency room at a local hospital. The doctor saw the boy and immediately exclaimed, "I can't operate on this child, he is my son!" But the doctor wasn't the boy's father. How is this possible?
Answer: The doctor was the child's mother.
2. A man lives on the very top floor of a fancy hotel.
When he goes out with a friend or if it is a rainy day, when he comes home he goes to the elevator and rides it all the way up to the top floor.
When he goes out on his own, or if the sun is shining, he goes up the elevator halfway but then walks up the stairs the rest.
Why is this?
Answer: He uses a tall friend or his umbrella to press the button for the high floor.
3. When I'm visible to you, you can never see me, but when I'm invisible you wish you could.
I am plenty enough if you are a person who is patient, but all the more scarce if you're someone who is hasty. I am greater than anything else in the world, but still, I am within the control of you who value my existence. Who am I?
Answer: Time.
4. My name is Toby, I live on a farm with four other dogs who are my brothers and sisters. Their names are Spot, Snowy, Brownie and Rex. What do you think the fifth dog's name is?
Answer: Toby.
5. There's a one storey house where everything in it is yellow. The walls, the carpets, the beds and all the other furniture is completely yellow. The house has yellow cutlery, a yellow fridge, and yellow pictures on the walls. What colour are the stairs in the house?
Answer: There are no stairs.
6. Grandad went for a walk, and it began to rain. He had forgotten to bring an umbrella and didn't have a hat. When he got home, his clothes were soaking wet, but not a hair on his head was wet. How was this possible?
Answer: He was bald.
Poetry Brain Teasers
Our favourite fun riddles are the ones that rhyme, and these poems double up as hard riddles for kids that are more than a little tricky to solve.
7. I've got many palms, but I do have hands. I'll offer food from distant lands. At my peak you'll see my smoke, I'm famous for the local folk. My flowers grow, but still they lay. There's fire where some men play. What am I?
Answer: Hawaii.
8. In marble halls, white as milk, lined with a skin that's softer than silk. Within, a fountain that's crystal clear, and a golden apple does appear. No doors are here to this stronghold, unless thieves break in to steal the treasured gold.
Answer: An egg.
9. I beam and shine, I am sparkly white. I brighten the day with my single light. I charm and enchant everyone, and bring out the best in you. What am I?
Answer: A smile.
10. I can't be seen, nor felt. I can't be heard and definitely not smelt. I lie behind stars and underneath hills. Empty holes, I always fill. I come first and follow after, I end a life and I kill laughter. Riddle me this - what am I?
Answer: Darkness.
11. I weaken men for hours each day. They see strange visions while they're away. I take them by night, and by day I take them back. They don't suffer to have me, but they do when I lack.
Answer: Sleep.
12. We are tiny little creatures, all of us have differing features. One of us in glass is set, and another one you'll find in set. Another you might see in tin, and the fourth is boxed within. If the fifth, you choose to pursue, it will never fly away from you. What are we?
Answer: Vowels.
13. My first is in the ocean, but not in the sea, my second is in milk but never in me. My third is in three, but not inside throw, my fourth is in vow but you won't find it in crow.
My fifth is in eight, but not in a night. My last is in wrong, but it's also in right. My whole is the praise for the thoughts of men, or women too, or tongue and pen.
Answer: Clever.
Maths Riddles
Try to solve these long confusing riddles by using equations to work out each mind-boggling answer.
14. There are four golfers - Mr Pink, Mr White, Mr Purple and Mr Blue - that are competing in a golf tournament. The golf caddy didn't know any of their names, so he asked them. One of them, Mr Purple - lied.
The first golfer said, "The second golfer is called Mr Pink." The second golfer said, "I am not Mr Blue." The third golfer said, "Mr White is the fourth golfer." And the fourth golfer was silent. Which one was Mr Blue?
Answer: The third one.
15. You have 14 pink socks, 14 red socks and 14 white socks in your sock drawer. How many socks would you have to remove at random without looking, to definitely have a matching pair?
Answer: Four.
16. You have a three-gallon bucket and a five-gallon bucket and as much water as you need. There are no other measuring devices. How do you fill the five-gallon bucket with four gallons of water exactly?
Answer: Fill the five-gallon bucket to the top. Pour it into the three-gallon bucket until full. Empty the three-gallon bucket, and pour the remaining two gallons of water into the three-gallon bucket. Fill the five-gallon bucket to the top, and then finish filling the three-gallon bucket. This will leave three gallons in the five-gallon bucket.
17. I'm adored by few, feared or hated by many. Mistress of reason, master of numbers. I've solved many of your personal mysteries but there are still so many of me to find. What am I?
Answer: Mathematics.
Nature Brain Teasers
Think of the outside world and you might be able to answer these long tricky teasers.
18. First is in window, but not in pane. Second is in road, but not in a lane. Third is in oval, but you won't find it in round. Fourth you'll find in hearing, but not in sound. The whole is a sign of peace, and from the ark of Noah, won quick release.
Answer: Dove.
19. I am small but I am bigger than a bee, and I am as quick as a flea. I hum but I don't buzz, and I'm not covered in fluff or fuzz. I am, however, a small collector of the juicy flower nectar.
Answer: Hummingbird.
20. Creatures of power, and of great size. Creatures of strength and also tremendous beauty. In their lives they set the pace of everything which lives underneath their emerald embrace. Either in their life, or in their death.
Answer: Trees.
21. I am ever changing though your eyes cannot measure. Concealed within me are secret treasures. Sometimes I glitter, and sometimes not. Sometimes I'm cold or sometimes very hot. Some find safety beneath my gate, and others die beneath my weight. What am I?
Answer: Rock.
22. I once heard of a wonder of moth eaten words. I thought it was a strange, weird thing. A man's song is swallowed by a worm. His sentences are blinded. His bedside table is rustling in the night. A robber but no wiser with his stolen bounty. A mumbler of words.
Answer: Bookworm.
23. It roars a challenge, and I respond. It takes the abuse and goes beyond. Filled up with liquid, in hurried haste, I wield my staff in this impossible race. Once I won against this mighty foe, I'll float like a thistle and move extremely slow. What am I talking about?
Answer: A waterfall.
24. It moves in continuous circles, we can see them as we turn. Its heat keeps us warm always. Alive yet constantly dying, across the sky we see it flying. To go near it, we'd surely burn.
Answer: The sun.
Tricky Long Riddles
These smart riddles will test your creativity. You'll definitely have to think outside the box to solve them!
25. I spend most of my day eating white, but when I am quick enough I get to eat fruit and sometimes some blue things. I'm in a dark room, where the walls are blue, I run from a ghost that roams the halls and haunts me all the time. What am I?
Answer: Pac-Man.
26. I am never exactly what I appear to be. I may seem straight forward, but I'm afraid that is only skin deep. Mystery most often lies beneath my simple words. Sharpen your wits, and open your eyes. Read me backwards, forwards, upside down. Look beyond my exteriors and answer this simple question. What am I?
Answer: A riddle.
27. I'm the beginning of ideas, since nearly the start of time. I'm a simple object but what you use me for can often be quite frustrating. You can make me beautiful or a complete mess.
I can help you solve problems and tell people you love them. I have some of the most valuable things in the world on me, but most people own me. You can use me to make anything. What am I?
Answer: Paper.
28. I'm part of a bird that's not in the sky, I'll drown in an ocean but still be dry. The last part of man, I refuse to die, in mourning, I'm tossed at your feet to lie.
I begin my job early, at your ankles and thighs. I work my way up to your waist, and in the middle of the day, away I'm chased. I'll return quite quickly for the arms of my taste. As the evening falls, I move to your lungs, down past your mouth and tongue.
When darkness falls, away I go. A relief for some, until morning comes. What am I?
Answer: Shadow.
29. Often talked of but never seen, I'm ever coming but never been. Daily looked for but never here, I'm still approaching and coming near. Thousands wait upon its visit, but somehow they never reach it. They expect me to appear but alas they'll never find me here.
Answer: Tomorrow.
30. I don't ever speak but I often impart the secret wishes of my heart. I sometimes deceive, yet I help people forgive. I can disarm the harshest of anger, that is the strength of my charming power. I might create enemies and also friends.
Answer: Smile.
Hardest Brain Teaser in the World
If you're up for the challenge, and these long riddles are too easy for your master mind, take on our ultimate challenge and try to answer the hardest one out there.
31. I turn polar bears white, and make you cry. I make boys need to pee and girls brush their hair. I turn a pancake brown, and make champagne bubble. I make celebrities look silly and normal people look like celebrities. Squeeze me and I'll pop, but look at me and you will. Can you guess the riddle?
The answer is "no" - you can't guess the answer!
Editorial credit: Kostikova Natalia / Shutterstock.com
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An experienced Londoner, Emily loves to discover new and exciting places in the city, especially with her two younger brothers. She has a passion for fashion and design and is also involved in art charities that facilitate workshops for children with special needs and difficult home lives. Emily is a trained life coach and enjoys writing about general wellness, mindfulness, and healthy relationships.
Bachelor of Arts Hons specializing in Modern Languages (French and Spanish)
Monisha KochharBachelor of Arts Hons specializing in Modern Languages (French and Spanish)
A Modern Languages graduate from the University College London, Monisha with a passion for travel and exploring different cultures. She is fluent in French and Spanish and is currently learning Hindi. Monisha enjoys discovering new foods and is an avid sports fan, following soccer and Formula 1. In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis and watching TV shows.
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