Math riddles are one of my favorite “quiet wins” with kids because they feel like a game, but they’re secretly doing real learning.
If your child rolls their eyes the second you say “let’s practice math,” these are such an easy workaround. You can read one riddle at the dinner table, toss a few into a car ride, or use them as a quick brain warm-up before homework. No worksheets. No pressure. Just that fun moment when they’re thinking hard… and then suddenly go, “WAIT—I KNOW!”
And don’t worry if they don’t get it right away. The best part is hearing how they think through it (and watching their confidence grow when they figure it out).
Scroll down for a bunch of math riddles with answers—easy ones, tricky ones, and a few that will make the whole family laugh.
What are Math riddles?
Math riddles are short logic or number puzzles that challenge kids to think creatively using math concepts like counting, patterns, and problem-solving. They’re fun, brain-boosting, and perfect for classrooms, homework breaks, or family game time.
How to use math riddles with kids
- Read the riddle out loud and let kids explain their thinking
- Give scratch paper or let them solve mentally
- Use one riddle as a warm-up before math homework
- Turn it into a game: 1 point per correct answer
Free Printable: Riddle Cards
Grab our free Riddles for Kids printable cards—perfect for car rides, brain breaks, family game night, or anytime kids want a challenge. Each card includes a kid-friendly riddle that gets kids thinking, laughing, and problem-solving together.
Top 10 Best Math Riddles
- What comes next: 2, 4, 8, 16…?
Answer: 32 - If you have three apples and take away two, how many do you have?
Answer: Two - What number becomes zero when you subtract the same number from it?
Answer: Any number - I am an odd number. Take away one letter and I become even. What am I?
Answer: Seven - How many sides does a circle have?
Answer: Two — inside and outside - What has four fingers and a thumb but isn’t alive?
Answer: A glove - If two’s company and three’s a crowd, what are four and five?
Answer: Nine - Which weighs more: a ton of feathers or a ton of bricks?
Answer: Neither — they weigh the same - What number has its letters in alphabetical order?
Answer: Forty - How many months have 28 days?
Answer: All of them
Math Riddles With Answers
Number Logic & Brain Teasers
These make kids slow down and think, not calculate.
- There are 100 houses in a neighborhood. Sam’s house number is the reverse of his brother’s. The difference ends in 2.
Answer: 19 and 91 - What can you place between 5 and 6 to make the number bigger than 5 but less than 6?
Answer: A decimal (5.6) - It’s a 3-digit number. The second digit is 4× the third. The first digit is 3 less than the second.
Answer: 141 - How many times can you subtract 10 from 100?
Answer: Once - If two is a twin and three is a triplet, what are 4 and 5?
Answer: 9 - Odd number becomes even when you remove one letter.
Answer: Seven - What number is endless and looks like a sideways 8?
Answer: Infinity (∞)
Addition, Multiplication & Operations
Classic math riddles kids love arguing about.
- Three numbers add and multiply to the same value.
Answer: 1, 2, 3 - Multiply this number by anything and it stays the same.
Answer: 0 - Use eight 8s to make 1000 (addition only).
Answer: 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1000 - If 100 is divided by half, what’s the answer?
Answer: 200 - What’s less than 100 and greater than 50, and equals 8 × 8?
Answer: 64 - Add this number twice to get 100.
Answer: 50
Time, Age & Calendar Riddles
These are great dinner-table riddles.
- Mili was 8; her sister was half her age. Now Mili is 14. How old is her sister?
Answer: 10 - If it’s raining at midnight and the next two days are clear, will it be sunny in 48 hours?
Answer: No — it will be night again - Add 5 to 9 and get 2. How?
Answer: Clock time (9 PM + 5 hours = 2 AM) - Seven elf siblings are born 2 years apart. Youngest is 7. Oldest?
Answer: 19
Trick Math Riddles (Careful!)
These trip kids up in the best way.
- Six oranges in a basket. You take four. How many do you have?
Answer: Four - Abel bought a rooster to lay eggs. How many eggs in four weeks?
Answer: None - Empty basket, one foot wide. How many eggs fit?
Answer: One - Johnny paints apartment numbers 1–100. How many times does he paint “7”?
Answer: 20
Real-World Math Problems
Perfect for older kids and teens.
- Cell phone + case = $100. Phone costs $100 more than the case.
Answer: Phone costs $105 - Mattress + bedsheet = $110. Mattress costs $100 more.
Answer: Mattress = $105 - Dozen eggs cost $0.12. How many eggs for $1?
Answer: 100 eggs - 96 boxes shipped: cartons hold 8 big or 10 small. Small boxes fewer than big.
Answer: 11 cartons
Geometry & Shapes
Sneaky learning without worksheets.
- It is a polygon with 3 sides and 3 vertexes. What is it?
Answer: Triangle. - It is an attribute of a circle and helps find a circles’ perimeter? What is it?
Answer: Radius. - It has six sides and is also found in a beehive? What shape is it?
Answer: Hexagon. - It is a 3D shape and is a part of our favorite ice-cream? What is it?
Answer: Cone. - It is round but not a circle; it resembles the shape of a hen’s egg?
Answer: Oval. - It has 4 equal angles and 4 equal sides. What is it?
Answer: Square. - 3-sided polygon?
Answer: Triangle - Longest side of a right triangle?
Answer: Hypotenuse - Perimeter of a circle?
Answer: Circumference - 6-sided shape found in a beehive?
Answer: Hexagon - 3D ice-cream shape?
Answer: Cone - Shape that looks like a dice?
Answer: Cube - Side of a right-angled triangle (starts P, ends R)?
Answer: Perpendicular
Number Properties
Foundational math ideas, disguised as riddles.
- Smallest even prime number?
Answer: 2 - Not prime or composite and keeps value when multiplied?
Answer: 1 - Changes value only when placed after a number?
Answer: 0 - Diamond Jubilee number?
Answer: 75 - Total weeks in a year?
Answer: 52 - Adult human teeth count?
Answer: 32
Family Logic Riddles
Kids LOVE these.
- Mrs. Jamie has 6 sons, each has a sister. Total kids?
Answer: 7 - Two moms and two daughters baked only 3 cakes. How?
Answer: Grandma, mother, daughter - Darek has many cousins; each cousin has an aunt who isn’t Darek’s aunt.
Answer: Their aunt is Darek’s mom
Measurement & Comparisons
Quietly reinforces units.
- Tommy is 100 cm tall. Harry is 1000 mm tall. Who’s taller?
Answer: Same height - 1 lb of feathers vs 1 lb of iron?
Answer: Same weight
Math Vocabulary Riddles
Great for school reinforcement.
- Constant related to circles and dessert?
Answer: Pi (π) - Study of shapes and size?Answer: Geometry
- Numbers using + and − symbols?
Answer: Integers - Mathematical order of operations?
Answer: BODMAS - Math study of chance?
Answer: Probability
Math doesn’t have to feel like worksheets and pressure — sometimes it just needs a good riddle.
These math riddles are some of my favorite ways to sneak learning into real life. We use them at the dinner table, in the car, or when someone says, “I’m bored.” They spark curiosity, confidence, and those wait… let me think moments that actually make kids enjoy problem-solving.
Save this list for:
- Homework breaks
- Morning warm-ups
- Family game night
- Classroom brain breaks
And if your kids are ready for a challenge, don’t miss these next:
- Hard Riddles for Teens
- Riddle Me This Riddles
- Riddle Hub– Where you will find all our riddles all in one place!
Math really can be fun — especially when it feels like a game.
Math Riddles FAQs
Love Riddles Like This?
We’ve collected easy, tricky, and holiday riddles for kids—all in one place to make screen-free fun simple.
Love Riddles Like This?
We’ve collected easy, tricky, and holiday riddles for kids—all in one place to make screen-free fun simple.
Michele Tripple is a renowned author and expert in the fields of parenting, relationships, and personal development. She is a certified Life Coach with her degree in marriage and family studies, her experience as a Family Life Educator, and over a decade of experience as a professional writer; Michele has authored books that provide practical advice and insights into improving family dynamics and personal growth. Her work is celebrated for its blend of research-driven information and relatable, real-world applications. Michele has been a keynote speaker at conferences and has contributed to numerous publications and media outlets, solidifying her reputation as an authoritative voice in her field and helping families build relationships.