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 2 of 3. Tap a riddle for the answer, or open it for the full explanation.
The ruler is smaller than the desk, and the desk is smaller than the student. Which one is the biggest?
There are 20 students in a box and 6 are taken out. How many students are left?
Leo has 5 desks. Max has twice as many. How many desks do they have together?
Kai counts rulers in a pattern: 2, 5, 8, 11. How many rulers come next?
Ida puts 4 erasers in each of 7 boxes. How many erasers is that altogether?
Five runners finish a school marathon, and only these facts survive. Carmen finished ahead of Hugo. Hugo finished ahead of Mara. Boris finished ahead of Carmen. Mara finished ahead of Pavel. Who finished first?
You write me, sign me, and send me to someone you care about in February. What am I?
Five runners finish a school marathon, and only these facts survive. Carmen finished ahead of Mara. Dmitri finished ahead of Elena. Elena finished ahead of Nico. Mara finished ahead of Dmitri. Who finished third?
Five runners finish a school marathon, and only these facts survive. Felix finished ahead of Carmen. Nico finished ahead of Felix. Iris finished ahead of Boris. Boris finished ahead of Nico. Who finished fourth?
I am wrapped in paper and tied with a bow, and you shake me to guess what is inside. What am I?
Three kids race to build the tallest ruler tower. Zoe finished before Mia. Ida finished before Zoe. Who finished last?
Half of the 28 desks on the table are taken away. How many desks are left on the table?
Kai makes 4 rows of 3 rulers and adds 3 more at the end. How many rulers are there in all?
20 erasers are shared equally among 4 friends. How many erasers does each friend get?
Eli has 8 pencils and finds 4 more. How many pencils does Eli have now?
Five runners finish a school marathon, and only these facts survive. Nico finished ahead of Iris. Carmen finished ahead of Hugo. Gwen finished ahead of Nico. Hugo finished ahead of Gwen. Who finished third?
Five runners finish a school marathon, and only these facts survive. Gwen finished ahead of Aria. Kira finished ahead of Gwen. Luca finished ahead of Kira. Aria finished ahead of Boris. Who finished second?
The student is smaller than the book, and the book is smaller than the eraser. Which one is the biggest?
Three kids race to build the tallest book tower. Mia finished before Leo. Kai finished before Mia. Who finished last?
Ida gets 7 erasers on Monday and 3 erasers on Tuesday, then gives away 3. How many erasers are left?
There are 22 pencils in a box and 8 are taken out. How many pencils are left?
Max has 7 students. Noah has twice as many. How many students do they have together?
I have many students and one teacher and a bell rings for me. What am I?
A valentine was left on the desk. It was signed with a doodle of a cat. Only Sam draws cats. Who sent it?
Five runners finish a school marathon, and only these facts survive. Gwen finished ahead of Luca. Aria finished ahead of Jonas. Luca finished ahead of Aria. Jonas finished ahead of Dmitri. Who finished first?
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.