Grades 3–5
Mystery Number Riddles
Eight “Who am I?” number riddles about digits, odd and even, multiples and square numbers.
Classroom activity · Logic puzzles and brain teasers
Brain Teaser Riddles
Ten classic brain teasers like “What gets wetter the more it dries?” Great for morning meeting.
- Grade level
- Grades 3–5
- Time
- About 20 minutes
- Answer key
- Yes, page 2 of the PDF
- Kids practice
- Logical reasoning, Problem solving, Persistence, Explaining thinking
What kids do
“Think carefully: the answer is often not what it seems! Write your answer on the line.”
Printed on the sheet:
- What has hands but cannot clap?
- What has to be broken before you can use it?
- What goes up but never comes down?
- What has a neck but no head?
- I am full of holes, but I can still hold water. What am I?
- What has many teeth but cannot bite?
- What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment and never in a thousand years?
- You have 3 apples and you take away 2. How many apples do you have?
Teacher tip
Read one riddle a day at morning meeting and let kids guess.
How to use it
- Let kids work with a partner and explain their thinking.
- Start with an easier puzzle before the harder ones.
- Model the first move or the first answer on the document camera.
Watch for
Frustration on hard puzzles. Give one clue at a time as a hint.
Talk about it
- What did you do when you were stuck?
- What was the trickiest part? How did you get past it?
Take it further
Post a puzzle of the week on the board.
US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.
More logic puzzles and brain teasers
Grades 4–5
Logic Grid: After-School Clubs
Two 4 by 4 logic grids with five clues and three clues. Kids cross out, then reason out the rest.
Grades 2–3
Shape Sudoku Puzzles
Sudoku with shapes instead of numbers: four 4 by 4 puzzles that each have exactly one answer.
Grades 2–3
Odd One Out Brain Teasers
Eight rows of four: circle the one that does not belong and explain why. Words, numbers and shapes.
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