181 Fun Brain Teasers for Kids & Adults [With Answers]

Brain Teasers are short puzzles that challenge you to think out of the box. They are a fun way to grab attention and put your smarts to test.

Brain teaser puzzles often have simple obvious answers but solving them is not so easy. Disguising format of these brain riddles works brilliantly at tricking the brain while hiding the answer in plain sight.

Solving brain teasers for kids is not only entertaining but also an excellent exercise for the brain.

Whether you are looking for recharging brain breaks for students or a fun way to boost lateral and critical thinking skills or simply hassle-free ways to entertain kids on a boring day, this ultimate list of 181 fun brain teasers for kids (with answers) is a great source to have fun while firing those neurons!

• Easy Brain Teasers for Kids
• Hard Brain Twisters for Kids
• Math Brain Teasers for Kids
• Visual Brain Teasers

We bet these exciting and fun brain teasers will get you scratching your head as well. So, get ready and test your plain brilliance and problem solving ability with these entertaining Brain Teaser Activities.

Easy Brain Teasers (With Answers) for Kids

1. Before Mt. Everest was discovered, which was the highest mountain in the World?

Answer: Mount Everest! It wasn’t just discovered, yet!

2. What can you hold without using your hands?

Answer: Your breath!

3. The more you take, the more you leave behind. What are they? 

Answer: Footsteps

4. How do oceans greet each other? 

Answer: They wave

5. I am full of holes, but I can still hold a lot of water. What am I?

Answer: A sponge

Related: Along with the best brain teasers for kids, check out Easy Riddles for Kids to get your little ones thinking out of the box!

6. What five letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?

Answer: Short (Short + ‘er’)

7. What starts with a P, ends with an E and has thousands of letters? 

Answer: Post office

8. What type of cheese is made backward?

Answer: Edam

9. What is as light as a feather, but even the strongest might not be able to hold it for more than a minute? 

Answer: Breath

10. What gets wet while drying?

Answer: A towel!

Quick Tip: Pair these fun brain teasers with Memory Games for Kids to augment their memory skills.

11. What two things you can never eat for breakfast?

Answer: Lunch and Dinner

12. What happens when you throw a blue stone into the Red Sea?

Answer: It becomes wet!

13. Why are ghosts bad at lying?

Because you can see right through them!

Related: Like this spooky brain teaser? Check out Kid-friendly Ghost Riddles for kids for more spookiness!

14. I have 4 fingers and a thumb but I am not alive. Who am I?

Answer: A Glove

15. I am at the center of gravity and you can find me in Venus but not in Earth. Who am I?

Answer: Letter ‘V’

Related: Club these brain teasers with silly Science Jokes for Kids & Adults.

16. What letters are found in every single day of the week? 

Answer: A,D,Y! (Day)

17. The more there is, the less you see. What is it?

Answer: Fog.

18. A man went outside in the pouring rain without an umbrella. While he got soaked in the rain, not a single hair on his head got wet. How is this possible?

Answer: The man was bald!

Quick Tip: Take a quick break with these Fun Questions To Ask Kids to reboot their brains.

19. A word I know, six letters it contains, remove one letter and 12 remains, what is it?

Answer: Dozens

20. What is in the middle of America? 

Answer: The letter ‘R.’

21. What always increases and never decreases?

Answer: Your age!

22. How many apples can you put in an empty basket?

Answer: One! The basket is no longer empty after you put the first apple in the basket.

23. How many months have 28 days?

Answer: 12 months.

24. What goes up and down but never moves?

Answer: The temperature.

25. You can serve me, but never eat me? Who am I?

Answer: Tennis ball.

26. I have hands but still I can’t clap. Who am I?

Answer: Clock

27. How many letters are there in the English alphabet?

Answer: 18 – 3 in ‘the’, 7 in ‘English,’ and 8 in ‘alphabet.’

28. People make me, save me, change me, take me. What am I?

Answer: Money

29. I exist only when there is light, but direct light kills me. What am I?

Answer: A shadow

30. What breaks but never falls, and what falls but never breaks?

Answer: Morning and night

31. What is always in front of you but you can never see it? 

Answer: The future 

32. What’s black, white, and blue? 

Answer: A sad zebra!

33. What has to be broken before you can use it? 

Answer: An egg!

34. What is the smallest amount of coins you can use to get exactly $0.65?

Answer: Two quarters, dime, and a nickel.

35. I am a ball that can be rolled but not bounced or thrown. What am I?

Answer: An eyeball!

36. What travels faster: heat or cold?

Answer: Heat because you can catch a cold!

37. Why did Mickey Mouse go to Outer Space? 

Answer: He wanted to visit Pluto. 

38. What goes around and around the wood, but never goes into the wood?

Answer: The bark of a tree.

39. I can run but not walk. I have a mouth but cannot talk. I have a bed but I cannot sleep. Who am I? 

Answer: River

40. I give milk and I have a horn, but I’m not a cow. What am I?

Answer: A milk truck.

41. I am filled with keys but have no locks. I have space but there are no extra rooms. Who am I?

Answer: A keyboard

42. You can find me in Mercury, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, but not in Venus or Neptune. What am I?

Answer: The letter “R.”

43. People buy me to eat, but never eat me. What am I?

Answer: A plate.

44. What belongs to you but is used by others? 

Answer: Your name!!

45. When does today come before yesterday?

Answer: In a dictionary.

46. I follow you all the time, but you can never touch me or catch me. What am I?

Answer: Your shadow.

47. What is the end of everything?

The letter “g”

48. Who travels across the world but stays in the same corner?

Answer: A stamp

49. Who can make moves while sitting?

Answer: A chess player!

50. Which five letter word sounds like it only has one letter?

Answer: Queue (Q)!

51. Which invention lets you look right through a wall? 

Answer: A window.

52. I am a word of letters three; add two and fewer there will be. What word am I?

Answer: Few

53. I come down, but I never go up. What am I?

Answer: Rain

54. What has a head and a tail but no body?

A coin

55. What has 88 keys but can’t open a single lock?

A piano.

56. What has four legs but can’t walk?

Answer: A table.

57. A girl is sitting in a house at night that has no lights on at all. There is no lamp, no candle, nothing. Yet she is reading. How? 

Answer: The girl is blind and she is reading Braille. 

58. What is Teddy the Bear’s middle name? 

Answer: The

Love your plushy? Here are some cute suggestions for your Teddy the Bear’s middle name.

59. I have a large money box, 10 inches wide and 5 inches tall.  Roughly how many coins can I place in this empty money box?

Answer: Just one, after which it will no longer be empty.

60. You walk into a room with a match, a kerosene lamp, a candle, and a fireplace. Which do you light first?

Answer: The match.

61. “Careful! Railroad crossing”, Can you spell that without any Rs?

Answer: T-H-A-T.

62. Name four days of the week that start with the letter “T.”

Answer: Tuesday, Thursday, today, and tomorrow.

63. I can run but I can’t walk? What am I?

Answer: A drop of water.

64. I have an eye yet I can’t see. Who am I?

Answer: Needle

65. What does “I RIGHT I” mean?

Answer: Right between the eyes.

66. Which letter looks the same upside down, forward and backward?

Answer: Letter ‘O’

67. What word looks the same backward and upside down?

Answer: SWIMS.

68. Mary is running in a race and passes the person in second place, what place is Mary in?

Answer: Second place!

69. A child fell off a 20-foot ladder but did not get hurt. Why not?

Answer: The child fell off the last step.

70. How many letters are there in the alphabet?

Answer: Eleven: T-H-E-A-L-P-H-A-B-E-T.

71. Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I?

Answer: Ton.

72. What seeks to be answered but never asks a question?

Answer: Phone

73. What never asks questions but is often answered?

A doorbell.

74. What is at the end of a rainbow?

The letter W.

75. What can you see once in a minute, twice in a moment, and never in a 1,000 years?

Answer: Letter ‘M’

76. Give me food, and I will live; give me water, and I will die. What am I?

Answer: Fire.

77. I fly but I have no wings. What am I?

Answer: Time

78. What is the one question that you can never answer in Yes?

Answer: “Are you asleep yet?”

79. I shave every day, but my hair only grows longer. Who am I?

Answer: A barber.

80. What can you break without ever touching it?

Answer: A promise.

81. What can’t talk but will respond when you speak to it?

An echo.

82. I am a tree that you can carry in your hand? Which tree am I?

Answer: Palm Tree

83. The more of me there is, the less you can see. What am I?

Answer: Darkness.

84. I am black when clean and dirty when white. What am I?

Answer: Black Board

85. When does tomorrow come before yesterday?

In a dictionary.

86. Why is it illegal to bury a man living in South Carolina in North Carolina?

Answer: You can’t bury a living person!

87. Choose the correct sentence: “the yolk of the egg is white” or “the yolk of the egg are white.”

Answer: None! The yolk of an egg is yellow!

88. There are three people in a barn. Ten cats follow them in. How many feet are in the barn now?

Answer: 6 feet in all! Cats have paws not feet.

89. Why is it not possible to marry your widow’s sister?

Answer: Dead people can’t be married!

90. If tomorrow I said “the day before yesterday was Saturday,” which day is today?

Answer: Sunday.

91. Where are Chinese gooseberries from?

Answer: New Zealand!

Related: Surprised? Well, we have got loads more Crazy, Weird But True Fun Facts to amaze you.

92. Can you make the letters in NEW DOOR one word?

Answer: ONE WORD

93. If there are three apples & you took away two, how many do you have?

Answer: Two

94. What’s the longest word in the English language?

Answer: Smiles. Because there’s a ‘mile’ between the beginning and the end!

95. What word when written in capital letters is the same backward, frontward and upside down?

Answer: NOON

96. Jeff’s dad has three sons: Snap, Crackle, and ___?

Answer: Jeff

97. If everything goes wrong, completely sideways, what is something you can always count on?

Answer: Your fingers and toes

98. Agatha’s mother has three daughters. One is named Danielle, the other is named Brittany. What’s the name of the third daughter?

Answer: Agatha

99. What never gets any wetter, no matter how much it rains?

Answer: A water body -river, sea, ocean, pond!

100. Where you can find cities and countries, eateries and shops, roads and lakes, but no people whatsoever?

Answer: A map

101. Why do birds fly south for the winter?

Answer: It’s too far to walk.

Related: Make way for more fun with Best Winter Would You Rather Questions!

102. What object doesn’t belong in this list – trumpet, flute, violin, harmonica, tuba?

Violin

103. What two keys can’t open any door?

Answer: A monkey and a donkey!

104. What are three things that are only sold in pairs? 

Answer: Gloves, shoes, socks!

105. How many animals did Moses take on the ark?

Answer: Moses didn’t take anything on the ark. Noah did.

106. I travel very slowly when gliding along the ground. Maybe my shell weighs me down. In your garden, I am found. What am I?

Answer: A snail.

107. What kind of music do rabbits like?

Answer: Hip Hop.

108. How did the chimp fix the leaky faucet?

Answer: With a Monkey Wrench.

Related: Did that just crack you up? Check out our clean, kid-friendly Jokes for fun silly laughs!

Hard Brain Teasers for Kids

Think the above ones were too easy and not challenging enough? Try these hard brain teasers for kids.

They are just the right mix – not too easy and not too difficult! But for sure, they will make your kids think hard and smart before they can answer these tricky brain teasers. 

109. In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?

Answer: November

110. The Jones family started driving south for their summer vacation, going through five different states along the way. The Scotts are driving in the opposite direction and only went through three states. What direction are they driving in?

Answer: North

111. What has two heads, four eyes, six legs, and a tail?

Answer: A cowboy riding his horse.

112. How far can a dog run into the woods?

Answer: The dog can run into the woods only halfway – if it ran any farther it would run out of the woods!

113. How long did the Hundred Years War last?

Answer: 116 years

114. What is a camel’s hair brush made of?

Answer: Squirrel fur!

115. I can jump and I can climb. With my many legs, I swing from tree to tree. I can build a house much bigger than me. What am I?

Answer: A Spider!

116. I have four legs but no tail. Usually, you can only hear me at night. What am I?

Answer: A frog.

Related: Love these hopping amphibians? Make a Paper Plate Frog to get your kids crafting!

117. A dog is on a 10-foot chain but wants a bone that is 11 feet away. How can the dog get the bone?

Answer: The chain isn’t attached to anything.

118. When is a man like a snake?

Answer: When he’s rattled.

119. If the red house is on the right side and if the blue house is on the left side, where’s the white house?

Answer: In Washington DC

120. Which country makes Panama hats?

Answer: Ecuador

121. You are driving a city bus. At the first stop, two women get on. At the second stop, three men get on, and one woman gets off. At the third stop, three kids and their mom get on, and a man gets off. The bus is grey, and it is raining outside. What color is the bus driver’s hair?

Answer: Same as the color of your hair! Remember, you are the bus driver!

122. Two mothers and two daughters went out to eat. Everyone ate one burger, yet only three burgers were eaten in all. How is this possible?

They were a grandmother, mother, and daughter.

123. There was a one story pink house in the town. Everything in it was pink – the carpets, the walls, the furniture and the cat too. What color were the stairs? 

Answer: There were no stairs at all. It’s a one-story house.

124. If you counted up all of the country’s eyes and then divided that number by two, what would you know for sure? 

Answer: You’ll find the number of living creatures in the country.

125. What color is the black box on a commercial airplane? 

Answer: Orange

126. This natural phenomenon cannot be seen when it is dark, for it is caused by light hitting rain To create a colorful arc? What is it?

Answer: A Rainbow!

Related: Dive into Cool Rainbow Facts For Kids and learn more about this optical phenomenon!

127. We are a family of four. My mom is Mrs. Sixty Two, my name is Thirty Two and my brother’s name is Twenty Two. What’s my dad’s name? 

Answer: Two!

128. Laura says that she can throw a ball so that it flies away from her, will change direction suddenly, and then come right back to her all by itself. Is that even possible?

Answer: Yes, if she throws it straight above her!

129. I am somewhere between the sky and the ground, always at a faraway distance. I move further away if you try to come close to me. What am I?

Answer: Horizon

130. A truck is driving to a town and meets four cars on the way. How many vehicles are going to the town?

Answer: Only the truck!

131. A brother and sister were standing on opposite sides of a river. When the brother called her, the sister crossed the river to meet him. But she didn’t get wet. How is this possible?

Answer: The river was frozen.

132. There are a dozen eggs in a carton. Twelve people each take a single egg, but there is one egg left in the carton. How?

Answer: The 12th person takes the egg and the carton, leaving the egg inside.

133. Lisa is William’s niece, but she isn’t Emily’s niece – even though Emily is William’s sister and William isn’t married. How is that possible?

Answer: Lisa is Emily’s daughter

134. A woman had two sons. They were born at the same hour on the same day of the same month in the same year. However, they were not twins. How could this be?

Answer: They’re triplets—there is a third child.

135. You’re stuck in an escape room with three doors. You’ll need to go through one of these doors to escape. The first door is filled with poisonous snakes. The second door has no floor and the third door has a tiger that hasn’t eaten in 2 months. Which door would you choose?

Answer: The third door. If the tiger hasn’t eaten in 2 months, it’s dead. 

136. This goes up and down, but never moves? What is it?

Answer: A flight of stairs.

137. What starts with the letter T, is filled with T and ends in T?

Answer: A teapot.

138. I come in many different colors and I get bigger when I’m full. I will float away if you don’t tie me down and I will make a loud sound if I break. What am I?

Answer: A balloon.

139. A boat has a ladder that’s 10 feet long, and hangs off the side of the boat, with its last three feet submerged in water. If the ocean tide rises five feet, how much of the ladder will be underwater?

Answer: Still three feet! When the tide rises, the boat will rise with it, bringing the ladder along. 

140. What was King George VI’s first name?

Answer: Albert

Related: Check out Trivia for Kids for more fun questions.

141. On a Sunday afternoon, a woman spotted a bear in the distance. Rather than be afraid, she ran toward it excitedly. Why wasn’t she afraid?

Answer: She was at the zoo.

142. An elevator is on the ground floor. There are four people in the elevator, including me. When the elevator reaches the first floor, one person gets out and three people get in. The elevator goes up to the second floor. Two people get out and six people get in. It then goes to the next floor up. No one gets out, but 12 people get in. Halfway up to the next floor, the cable snaps, and the elevator crashes to the floor. Everyone else dies in the lift. How did I survive?

Answer: I got out on the second floor!

143. A farmer has 19 sheep on his land. One day, a big storm hits and all but seven run away. How many sheep does the farmer have left?

Answer: Seven

144. What are the next three letters in the following sequence? J, F, M, A, M, J, J, A, , , ?

S, O, N. The sequence is the first letter of the months of the year.

145. What is special about the words: job, polish, herb?

They are all pronounced differently when the first letter is capitalized.

146. A boy was rushed to the hospital emergency room. The ER doctor saw the boy and said, “I cannot operate on this boy. He is my son.” But the doctor was not the boy’s father. How could that be?

Answer: The doctor was the boy’s mother!

147. A man left home running. He ran away and then turned left, ran the same distance, and turned left again, ran the same distance, and turned left again. When he got home, there were two masked men. Who were they?

The catcher and the umpire.

148. Jimmy’s mother had four children. She named the first Monday. She named the second Tuesday, and she named the third Wednesday. What is the name of the fourth child?

Answer: Jimmy!

Math Brain Teasers

Make practising math fun and exciting with these Math Brain Teasers for kids. They are a great, exciting way to bring math into your busy routine without making it boring. 

Most of these brain teasers will challenge your kids to think outside the box while a few will put their arithmetic skills and mental math to test.

Whether you are looking to entertain your middle schooler on a long car ride or simply looking for fun activities and ideas to get their minds buzzing, these Math brain teasers for kids are an excellent way to banish boredom.

149. What is heavier, a pound of feathers or a pound of rocks?

Answer: Both weigh the same – one pound.

150. How many seconds are there in a year?

Answer: Twelve. January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd, April 2nd…

151. Divide 30 by ½ and add 10. What’s the answer?

Answer: 70

152. I am an odd number. Take away one letter and I become even. What number am I?

Answer: (S)even!

Related: Tickle your kiddo’s funny bone with these Math Jokes for Kids.

153. Mark turned left, right, spun around 360°, stood on his head, and then walked backward before taking a picture of the sunset. What direction was he pointing?

West

Related: Also check out Math Riddles for kids to gamify math.

154. Bunny the Rabbit eats one carrot on Monday, two carrots on Tuesday, four carrots on Wednesday, etc. How many carrots does he eat every week? 

Answer: 127 carrots

155. Frankie the Frog had an accident and broke one of his legs. He went to the hospital on Monday, November 1 and left on November 30. What day of the week is it?

Answer: Tuesday

Related: If you are looking for more challenging Math brain teasers try our Fun Critical Thinking Puzzles that test critical reasoning and math skills.

156. Liz orders six bowls of ice cream with three scoops in each. Ben wants as many scoops as her, but in just two dishes. How many scoops are in each of his dishes?

Answer: Nine in each

157. What do the numbers 11, 69, and 88 all have in common?

Answer: The read the same right side up and upside down.

158. Claire leaves New York by eight in the morning, driving 35 mph. Nina starts driving to New York at a speed of 50 mph. When they meet, which one will be furthest away from New York? 

Answer: When they meet, they will be the same distance away from New York.

Related: Also try Math Classroom Games & Activities to make maths exciting!

159. Mr. and Mrs. Fredrickson are eating ice cream. Mrs. Fredrickson says that if her husband gives her one scoop of his ice cream, she’ll have twice as many scoops as him. Mr. Fredrickson says that if she gives him one of her scoops, he will have same number of scoops as her. How many scoops do they each have?

Answer: Mrs. Fredrickson has seven scoops and Mr. Fredrickson has five.

160. Maggie lives on a street with 10 houses. The houses are numbered 1 to 10. If Maggie adds up all the house numbers that are lower than hers, the total is three times her actual house number. What number is Maggie’s house?

Answer: House number 7

161. When Ashley was 15, her mother was 37. Now, her mother is twice her age. How old is Ashley?

Answer: Ashley is 22.

162. Identify the pattern and find the missing number

2 + 2 = 44

3 + 3 = 96

4 + 4 = 168

5 + 5 = 2510

6 + 6 = ?

Answer: 3612. The pattern is the number multiplied by itself and then the sum of number added to itself.

163. Multiply me by any other number, the answer will always be the same. What number am I?

Answer: Zero.

164. A new movie comes out with the first people showing up an hour before showtime. The audience doubles every 10 minutes, and after 60 minutes the theater is full. When was the theater half full?

Answer: 10 minutes before showtime.

165. Every year on Mars is double the length of a year on Earth, how old would you be if you lived on Mars?

Answer: Double your age

166. What makes the number 8,549,176,320 special?

Answer: It’s the only number that has numbers arranged in alphabetical order. 

167. Using only addition, how do you add eight 8s and get the number 1,000?

A: 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1000.

168. Seven brothers were born two years apart. The youngest brother is seven. How old is the oldest brother?

Answer: 19

169. Can you add one mathematical symbol in between 55555 to equal 500? 

Answer: 555-55=500 

170. What two numbers make a one-digit number when you multiply them but a two-digit number when you add them together? 

Answer: One and nine

171. Mrs. Black has two children. If the oldest child is a girl, what are the odds that the other child is also a girl?

Answer: 50 percent.

172. Which two numbers come out the same whether you multiply or add them together? 

Answer: 2 x 2 = 4 and 2 + 2 = 4 

173. Four friends are racing. Lina finishes four hours ahead of Tina, with Phil finishing eight hours ahead of Merlin. Merlin took six more hours than Lisa to finish the race. What order do they cross the finish line in? 

Answer: Phil, Lina, Tina, Merlin

174. Turn me on my side and I am everything. Cut me in half and I am nothing. What am I?

Answer: The number eight.

175. Five copycats were on a flight. One jumped out, so how many are left?

Answer: None, they all jumped out because they are all copycats.

176. There are less than 30 students but more than 20 in a classroom. The kids can be divided into groups of two, three, four, six, and eight with no leftovers. How many students are there in the class? 

Answer: 24 students

177. I am a three-digit number. My second digit is four times bigger than the third digit. My first digit is 3 less than my second digit. What number am I?

Answer: 141

178. Mr. Jack is exactly 5 times as old as his dog Patches. In five years, Mr. Jack will only be three times as old as Patches. How old will he be in five years?

Answer: 30

179. Tom and his father, together weigh 280 pounds. Tom’s dad weighs three times as much as Tom does. How much does Tom weigh?

Answer: 70 pounds

Visual Brain Teasers

Visual brain teasers are picture puzzles that work like magic with kids who are visual learners and are great at deciphering visual clues. 

These creative brain teasers are certain to catch your child’s attention and polish their thinking skills.

180. Rebus Puzzles for Kids

Rebus Puzzles are excellent brain teasers for 5 year old and above. These fun visual puzzles give clues to guess a word or a phrase and are a big hit with children.

Its a wonderful resource for classroom as well as home learning and double up as one of the best literacy activities for kids.

181. Non-Verbal Reasoning Questions

Non-verbal reasoning puzzles are among the best brain teasers for grade 4 and above. These puzzles help kids think creatively to solve problems while enhancing their spatial and critical thinking skills along with logical reasoning and mathematical abilities.

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