elementary math problem solving riddles

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100 Math Riddles for Kids (and Grown-Ups Too!)

So many ways to have fun with math.

Math riddles are tricky problems or questions that students have to use their knowledge of math operations, vocabulary, and general knowledge to solve. They’re also a fun way to engage in creative thinking and collaboration as they work to solve math riddles together.

As a warm-up or challenge activity, math riddles:

• Improve problem-solving skills.
• Build resilience. Students are bound to miss one (or many) riddles. Having to try and try again is a skill they’ll need in math and beyond.
• Increase engagement. Math riddles can be a fun way to learn and practice math, which can increase motivation.
• Support collaboration. If students must solve a problem in groups, they’ll practice working together and relying on each other’s unique approaches and thinking styles.

Whatever the reason, check out these 100 math riddles to challenge every student.  

Math Riddles for Elementary School

How many sides does a circle have.

None. A circle does not have sides.

I’m an even, single-digit number. Once you write me, I have no start or end. I look like a standing pair of glasses. Who am I?

Ashley buys one new toy every 30 days. how many toys does he have in one year, which is longer, 10 centimeters or 10 inches, if you multiply me by any other number, the answer will always be the same. what number am i, what weighs more, a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks.

They weigh the same.

When Pam was 8, her sister was half her age. Now, Pam is 14. How old is her sister?

Pam’s sister is 4 years younger, so her sister is now 10 (14 – 4 = 10).

If a boy blows 18 bubbles, and then he pops 7, eats 6, stomps 5, and blows another 1, how many are left?

If you’re at a theater to watch a movie that starts in one hour, how many minutes do you have to wait to watch it.

60 minutes.

Nina has six siblings who were born two years apart. Kevin, the youngest, is 7 years old, while Nina is the oldest. How old is Nina?

Nina is 19: 7 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 19.

How did the soccer fan know before the game that the score would be 0-0?

The score is always 0-0 before the game.

What is the Roman numeral for 100?

You’re 8 years old, and your uncle is 53. how old will your uncle be when you are 23, at what point do parallel lines meet.

Never. Parallel lines never intersect.

If it took seven people 10 hours to build a doghouse, how many hours will it take 15 people to build the same doghouse?

None. The dog house is already built.

A farmer has 23 goats on his farm. One day after a storm, all but 9 ran away. How many goats does the farmer have now?

Place three matches on the table. how can you add two more to make eight.

Add two matches to make the Roman numeral VIII.

How many times can you take 10 away from 100?

Once. After that, the number you’re subtracting from is 90.

There’s something common between the numbers 11, 88, and 96. What is it?

You can rotate them 180° or upside down and they will still look the same.

What can you put between 8 and 9 to make the result greater than 8, but less than 9?

A decimal point (8.9).

This number is the smallest prime number and an even number. What is it?

Henry is 1,000 mm tall, and hank is 100 cm tall. who’s taller.

They are the same height.

Can you find a way to get the number 23 by using only the number 2?

22 + 2/2 = 23

How many cupcakes are in a baker’s dozen?

I get 11 when i add 5 and 6, but when i take 7 and 6, i get 1. what am i, if 1 = 4, 2 = 8, 3 = 12, then 4 = how much.

Since 1 = 4, then 4 = 1.

There is an odd number that becomes even if you take away one letter from it. What is it?

Seven. Take away the S and it is “even.”

What three numbers have the same result if they are added or multiplied together?

1, 2, and 3.

If days on Mars are as long as two weeks on Earth, how long is an hour?

14 Earth hours.

Math Riddles for Middle Schoolers

If you go to the movies and you’re paying, is it cheaper to take one friend to the movies twice or two friends to the movies at the same time.

It is cheaper to take two friends at the same time, since you’d be paying for yourself plus two others (three people) as opposed to paying for yourself and one friend twice, which equals four people.

If four men can build four tables in four hours, how many can eight men build in eight hours?

I am four times as old as my daughter. in 20 years time, i shall be twice as old as her. how old are we now.

I am 40 and my daughter is 10.

There is a lily pad on a small pond. Each day, the lily pad doubles its size. On day 20 it covers the whole pond. On what day was the lily pad the size of half the pond?

At a clothing store, the owner has devised his own method of pricing items. a vest costs $20, socks cost $25, a tie costs $15, and a blouse costs $30. using this method, how much would a pair of underwear cost.

$45. The pricing method consists of charging $5 for each letter required to spell the item.

One is to three as three is to five and five is to four and four is the magic number. What is the pattern?

The word “one” has three letters. The word “three” has five letters. “Five” has four letters. “Four” has four letters.

The ages of a father and son add up to 66. The father’s age is the son’s age reversed. How old could they be? (There are three possible solutions.)

51 and 15, 42 and 24, or 60 and 06.

Pick a number from 1 to 10, multiply it by 2, add 10, divide it by 2, now subtract the number you picked from your total. What is it?

You want to boil a two-minute egg. if you only have a three-minute timer (hourglass), a four-minute timer, and a five-minute timer, how can you boil the egg for only two minutes.

Once the water is boiling, turn the three-minute timer and five-minute timer over. When the three-minute timer runs out, put the egg in the boiling water. When the five-minute timer runs out, two minutes have elapsed and it is time to take the egg out of the water. You do not need the four-minute timer.

81 x 9 = 801. What must you do to make the this equation true?

Turn it upside down. 108 = 6 x 18.

How much will a 38° angle measure when looked at under a microscope that magnifies 10 times?

It will be 38 degrees.

If 1 = 5, 2 = 15, 3 = 215, and 4 = 3,215, what does 5 equal?

5 = 1, because 1 = 5.

If seven people meet one another and each shakes hands only once with each of the others, how many handshakes happened?

Using only addition, how can you add eight 8s to get the number 1,000.

888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 =1,000.

How much dirt is there in a hole that is 3.45 m by 6.21 m?

None. There is no dirt in a hole.

A phone and case cost $110 in total. The price of the phone is $100 more than the case. How much is the phone?

An empty bus pulls up to a stop, and 10 people get on. at the next stop, 5 people get off, and twice as many people get on as at the first stop. at the third stop, 25 get off. how many people are on the bus.

One—the driver.

During what month do people sleep the least?

February because it has the fewest days.

There are 12 kids in a class. Six kids are wearing socks, four are wearing shoes, and three are wearing both. How many have bare feet?

Mr. kim has five sons. each of his sons has a sister. how many children does mr. kim have.

Six. They all have the same sister.

There are six chocolates in a basket. Six people each take one chocolate. How can it be that one chocolate is left in the basket?

The last person took the basket with the chocolate in it.

Kevin finished half of his report at school. He finishes another quarter after school. How much does he have left to finish?

A quarter (1 – 1/2 – 1/4 = 1/4).

What is the next number? 1, 2, 4, 7, 11, 16, __?

At an ice cream shop, a single scoop costs $5. a double scoop costs $7. a triple scoop costs $8. what’s the best value.

The triple scoop.

Maria made brownies. She cuts the brownies into 12 equal pieces. How many cuts did she make?

Five cuts (two vertical, three horizontal).

Hailey has three library books at home. She finished reading one of them and returned it. Then her mom bought her two books. How many books does she currently have at home?

Four (3 – 1 + 2 = 4).

Which statement is correct: “Eight and six are fifteen” or “six and eight are fifteen”?

Neither of them is correct: 8 + 6 =14.

Math Riddles for High Schoolers

Cara leaves new york at 8 a.m., driving 35 mph. nancy starts driving to new york at 50 mph. when they meet, which one will be farthest away from new york.

They will be the same distance from New York.

A teacher says that there are fewer than 30 students but more than 20 in a classroom. The children can be divided into groups of two, three, four, six, and eight with no leftover students. How many students are in the class?

Seven brothers were born two years apart. the youngest brother is 7. how old is the oldest brother, charlie has one child, a boy. he’s having another child. what chance does he have of having another boy, what is the next number: 1, 3, 7, 15, 31, __, what is the next number: 2, 4, 6, 10, 16, __, there are 100 houses in the neighborhood where sam and his brother live. sam’s house number is the reverse of his brother’s house number. the difference between their house numbers ends with 2. what are their house numbers, in a three-digit number, the second digit is four times greater than the third digit. the first digit is three lower than the second digit. what is the number, it is raining at midnight and the weather forecast says that tomorrow and the next day will be clear. will it be sunny in 48 hours.

No, in 48 hours, it will be night so it will not be sunny.

A 300-foot train traveling 300 feet per minute must travel through a 300-foot-long tunnel. How long will it take the train to travel through the tunnel?

Two minutes. It takes the front of the train one minute, and the rest of the train will take two minutes to clear the tunnel.

Robert and David played several golf matches against each other in a week. They played for a pizza at each match, but no pizzas were purchased until the end of the week. If Robert and David had the same number of wins at any time, those pizzas were canceled. Robert won four matches (but no pizzas), and David won three pizzas. How many rounds of golf were played?

11. David won seven matches—four to cancel out Robert’s four wins and three more to win the pizzas.

I add 5 to 9 and get 2. The answer is correct, but how?

When it is 9 a.m., add five hours to it, and you will get to 2 p.m.

When Carlos was 6 years old, his little sister, Julia, was half his age. If Carlos is 40 years old today, how old is Julia?

Tom was asked to paint numbers outside 100 apartments, which means he will have to paint numbers 1 through 100. how many times will he have to paint the number 8, there are 100 pairs of dogs in a zoo. a pair of puppies are born for each dog. unfortunately, 23 of the dogs have not survived. how many dogs are left in total.

977 dogs. 100 x 2 = 200; 200 + 800 = 1,000; 1,000 – 23 = 977

If a hen and a half lay an egg and a half in a day and a half, how many eggs will half a dozen hens lay in half a dozen days?

Leon works at the aquarium. when he tries to put each turtle in its own tank, he has one turtle too many. but if he puts two turtles per tank, he has one tank too many. how many turtles and how many tanks does leon have.

He has three tanks and four turtles.

Math Riddles for Adults

You have a perfect cube. can you divide your cube into smaller cubes that all have different volumes.

No. There is no way for cubes of all different volumes to correctly fit inside of a larger cube. There would be empty spaces as the cubes got smaller and smaller and you would have no way to fill these spaces. Eventually, the cubes would be too small to continue.

One morning you need to find some socks, but your light is broken. You know there are 10 purple socks and 10 orange socks in your drawer, but they’re all mixed up. They are completely the same except for their color. How many socks do you have to pick to ensure you have a matching pair?

You only have to pick three socks. Because there are only two colors of socks in the drawer, you will definitely have a matching pair if you take three.

You are cutting up a pie. First you cut it into two pieces. With your next cut, you produce four pieces. The third cut results in seven pieces. How many pieces can you cut with seven slices?

What is special about the number 854,917,632.

It’s the numbers one through ten in alphabetical order.

You are 8 feet away from a door, and with each move you advance half the distance to the door. How many moves will it take to reach the door?

You will never reach it because you will always have another half distance to cross.

Joe has 10 coins totaling $1.19. From these coins, he cannot make exact change for a dollar, half dollar, quarter, dime, or nickel. What are the coins?

A half dollar, a quarter, four dimes, and four pennies.

When shipping something, Tom can place 10 small boxes or 8 large boxes into a carton. A total of 96 boxes were sent in one shipment and the number of small boxes was less than large boxes. How many cartons did he ship?

11 cartons.

A certain number has three digits. The sum of the three digits equals 36 times this number. Seven times the left digit plus nine equals five times the sum of the two other digits. Eight times the second digit minus nine is equal to the sum of the first and third. What is the number?

Can you arrange four nines to make it equal to 100.

99 + 9 / 9 = 100

Easy Math Riddles

I am a number that is 5 more than the number of toes you have on your feet. what am i, i am a number that is two more than the number of days in a week. what am i, i’m less than 15 but more than 10. you can find me by adding 10 to 3. what am i, i am more than 10 but less than 14. i am one more than the number of months in one year. what am i, i’m less than 8 but more than 5. i’m one more than the fingers on your left hand. what am i, i’m a number you can find by adding the number of sides of a triangle. what am i, i’m between 1 and 5. i’m less than 4 and more than 2. what am i, i am a number you get when you add the sides of a rectangle and a square., hard math riddles, a snail is at the bottom of a 20-meter pit. every day the snail climbs 5 meters up, but at night it slides down 4 meters. how many days does it take before the snail reaches the top.

The snail reaches the top of the pit on the 16th day. On the first day, the snail reaches a height of 5 meters and slides down 4 meters at night, and thus ends at a height of 1 meter. On the second day, he reaches 6 meters but slides back to 2 meters. On the third day, he reaches 7 meters but slides back to 3 meters. On the 15th day, he reaches 19 meters but slides back to 15 meters. On the 16th day, he reaches 20 meters, so now he is at the top of the pit.

There are eight balls with eight different numbers in them: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15. Select three balls that equal 30.

Flip the nine and turn it into a 6 and then the three balls are 6, 11, and 13.

Can you make 24 from the numbers 3, 3, 8, and 8? You can only use the operations + – x / (), and you have to use all four numbers.

8 / (3 – 8/3) = 24.

How can you take 2 from 5 and leave 4?

Remove the 2 letters F and E from five and you have IV which is the Roman numeral for four.

Granny left half her money to her granddaughter and half that amount to her grandson. She left a sixth to her brother, and the remainder, $1,000, to the dogs’ home. How much did she leave altogether?

Focus on the fractions. Add one-half, one-quarter, and one-sixth for a total that is a fraction of twelfths (2 + 4 + 6 = 12). You can also think about it as 6/12, 3/12, 2/12, which equals 11/12. If the remainder is $1,000, that must be one-twelfth, so the total is $12,000.

What single digit appears most frequently between and including the numbers 1 and 1,000?

The most common digit is 1. Every number 1 through 9 appears exactly the same number of times in every 10 numbers. But because we included the number 1,000, there’s an extra occurrence of the number 1. In total, the number 1 appears 301 times, and every other number appears 300 times.

A small number of cards has been lost from a complete pack. If I deal among four people, three cards remain. If I deal among three people, two remain, and if I deal among five people, two cards remain. How many cards are there?

What is the smallest whole number that is equal to seven times the sum of its digits, what is the smallest number that increases by 12 when it is flipped and turned upside-down, you have two u.s. coins worth a total value of 30 cents. one of them is not a nickel. what are the two coins.

One quarter and one nickel.

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180 MATH RIDDLES WITH ANSWERS FOR KIDS AND ADULTS

Math riddles for kids can be a great way to promote learning and intellectual growth in children while also providing them with a fun and entertaining challenge.

• Math Riddles

Math Riddles for Kids and Adults to Solve

Math riddles can be a fun and engaging way to teach and learn mathematical concepts. Here are a few ways math riddles can be useful to teachers and students:

• Enhancing problem-solving skills: Math riddles often require students to think creatively and apply problem-solving skills to find the solution. This can help students develop critical thinking skills that are useful not just in math but in many other areas of life.
• Encouraging persistence: Some math riddles can be quite challenging, and students may need to work through several attempts before finding the solution. This can help students develop persistence and a willingness to keep trying even when things are difficult.
• Increasing motivation and engagement: Math riddles can be a fun and engaging way to learn math, which can help motivate students to learn more about the subject.
• Providing opportunities for collaboration: Many math riddles can be solved in groups, which can provide opportunities for students to collaborate and learn from each other.
• Making math more accessible: Math riddles can help make math more accessible to students who may be struggling with traditional approaches to learning the subject. By providing a fun and engaging way to learn math, students may become more interested in the subject and more willing to engage with it.

Do you love math? Love numbers? Love the thrill of problem-solving and the quiet satisfaction of finding that one right answer? If so, these math puzzles and riddles in mathematics are just for you!

How Do Eight Eights Add Up To One Thousand

Strange subtraction.

How Many Sides Does A Circle Have

How many times can you subtract the number 5 from 25.

When John Was Six Years Old He Hammered A Nail

Four times older thank my daughter riddle.

What Did One Math Book Say To The Other Math Book

Lily is a lilypad in a small pond. lilly doubles her size each day, there is a clothing store in bartlesville. the owner has devised his own method, what did the triangle say to the circle, one is to three as three is to five riddle, if a boy blows 18 bubbles riddle, the ages of a father and son add up to 66, pick a number from 1-10, multiply it by 2, add ten, divide it by 2, what two whole, positive numbers have a one-digit answer when multiplied, you want to boil a two-minute egg. if you only have a three-minute timer, math equation riddle, how much will a 38° angle measure when looked at under a microscope, what does 5 equal, search riddles, follow riddles, share riddles.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How can I make math fun for kids? Use puzzles, riddles, and games based on mathematics. This list of math riddles should help! Or consider a math-themed scavenger hunt—you’ll have a little math master on your hands!

What is the main benefit of math riddles? Math riddles make math more fun and, when learning is fun, it becomes easier. Before you know it, you (or your children) will be thinking like a true mathematician!

How can you add eight 8’s to get the number 1,000? 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1,000. Find this and 190+ math riddles at Riddles.com, along with other family-friendly activities , including a math-themed riddle quiz .

30 Math Riddles (With Answers)

Math may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but when you think about it, it’s everywhere. Most of us likely do some type of math just about every day. So how can we make learning math and improving our problem-solving abilities more enjoyable? The answer is easy—riddles! And these math riddles are a great place to start.

These riddles span various age levels and abilities. Try some out yourself or gather the kids and make it a family or school activity. Math is fundamental, so there’s no time like the present to fine-tune those skills!

Calling All Math Masters!

If you enjoy math riddles, you’re bound to love the Math Masters category of our in-home scavenger hunts ! All you’ll need is your family, your internet-enabled device, and your competitive spirit. Our intuitive interface will have you connected, solving clues, and completing challenges in no time.

Developed in conjunction with 2 elementary school teachers, this hunt makes problem-solving a blast! When you’re done with that category, there are several more from which you can choose. The one thing they all have in common is FUN!

1. Riddle: A merchant can place 8 large boxes or 10 small boxes into each carton for shipping. In one shipment, he sent a total of 96 boxes. If there are more large boxes than small boxes, how many cartons did he ship? Answer: 11 cartons total: 7 cartons of large boxes (7 * 8 = 56 boxes), 4 cartons of small boxes (4 * 10 = 40 boxes).

2. Riddle: I have a calculator that can display ten digits. How many different ten-digit numbers can I type using just the 0-9 keys once each, and moving from one keypress to the next using the knight’s move in chess? (In chess, the knight move in an L-shape—one square up and two across, two squares down and one across, two squares up and one across, and other like combinations.) Answer: You can form the numbers 5034927618 and 5038167294. You can also form their reverses: 8167294305 and 4927618305. Hence four different numbers can be made.

3. Riddle: When my dad was 31, I was just 8 years old. Now his age is twice as old as my age. What is my present age? Answer: When you calculate the difference between the ages, you can see that it is 23 years. So you must be 23 years old now.

4. Riddle: An insurance salesman walks up to a house and knocks on the door. A woman answers, and he asks her how many children she has and how old they are. She says I will give you a hint. If you multiply the 3 children’s ages, you get 36. He says this is not enough information. So she gives a him 2nd hint. If you add up the children’s ages, the sum is the number on the house next door. He goes next door and looks at the house number (13) and says this is still not enough information. So she says she’ll give him one last hint which is that her oldest of the 3 plays piano. Why would he need to go back to get the last hint after seeing the number on the house next door? Answer: After the first hint, there are several different options. When he realizes the sum is 13, the answer is one of two possibilities. The third hint indicates there is an “oldest” daughter. Since one of the two options includes older twins (1 + 6 + 6 = 13) and the other includes young twins (2 + 2 + 9 = 13), the daughters must be 2, 2, and 9.

5. Riddle: Scott has $28.75. He purchased three cookies that cost $1.50 each, five newspapers that each cost $0.50, five flowers for $1.25 each, and used the remainder of the cash on a pair of sunglasses. How much were the sunglasses? Answer: $15.50.

6. Riddle: What is the smallest whole number that is equal to seven times the sum of its digits? Answer: 21. The two-digit number ab stands for 10a + b since the first digit represents 10s and the second represents units. If 10a + b = 7(a + b), then 10a + b = 7a + 7b, and so 3a = 6b, or, more simply, a = 2b. That is, the second digit must be twice the first. The smallest possible number is 21.

7. Riddle: A monkey is trying to climb a coconut tree. He takes 3 steps forward and slips back 2 steps downward. Each forward step is 30 cm and each backward step is 40 cm. How many steps are required to climb a 100 cm tree? Answer: 50 steps.

8. Riddle: In a mythical land 1/2 of 5 = 3. If the same proportion holds, what is the value of 1/3 of 10? Answer: 4.

9. Riddle: It is 9 am now. Rita studies for 2 hours, takes a bath for 1 hour, and then has lunch for 1 hour. How many hours are left before 9 am tomorrow? Answer: 20 hours.

10. Riddle: There is an empty basket that is one foot in diameter. What is the total number of eggs that you can put in this empty basket? Answer: Only one egg! Once you put an egg into the basket, it’s no longer an empty basket!

Need a break from all that math? Our list of funny riddles is giggle-worthy!

11. Riddle: You know 2 + 2 gives you the same total as 2 x 2. Find a set of three different whole numbers whose sum is equal to their total when multiplied. Answer: The three different whole numbers whose sum is equal to their total when multiplied are 1, 2, and 3.

12. Riddle: If you multiply this number by any other number, the answer will always be the same. What is the number? Answer: Zero.

13. Riddle: A grandfather, two fathers, and two sons went to a movie theater together and everyone bought one movie ticket each. Movie tickets cost $7.00 and their total was $21.00. How? Answer: They purchased 3 tickets. The grandfather is also a father and the father is also a son.

14. Riddle: A small number of cards has been lost from a complete deck. If I deal cards to four people, three cards remain. If I deal to three people, two remain. If I deal to five people, two cards remain. How many cards are there? Answer: There are 47 cards. A complete deck is 52 cards. 5 cards have been lost.

15. Riddle: Tom was on the way to the park. He met a man with seven wives and each of them came with seven sacks. All these sacks contain seven cats and each of these seven cats had seven kittens. So in total, how many were going to the park? Answer: 1. Only Tom was going to the park.

16. Riddle: I am an odd number; take away a letter and I become even. What number am I? Answer: Seven. (SEVEN-S=EVEN.)

17. Riddle: How can you add eight 8’s to get the number 1,000? Answer: 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1,000.

18. Riddle: If there are four apples and you take away three, how many do you have? Answer: Three apples.

19. Riddle: I am one with a couple of friends. Quarter a dozen, and you’ll find me again. What number am I? Answer: 3.

20. Riddle: Tom weighs half as much as Peter and Jerry weigh three times the weight of Tom. Their total weight is 720 pounds. Can you figure out the individual weights of each man? Answer: Tom weighs 120, Peter weighs 240, and Jerry weighs 360.

Find these math riddles too hard? How about some easy riddles ?

21. Riddle: If it is two hours later, then it will take half as much time till it’s midnight as it would be if it were an hour later. What time is it? Answer: 9:00 PM.

22. Riddle: In an alien land far away, half of 10 is 6. If the same proportion holds true, then what is 1/6th of 30 in this alien land? Answer: 6.

23. Riddle: In two years, Tom will be twice as old as he was five years ago. How old is Tom? Answer: 12.

24. Riddle: A little boy goes shopping and purchases 12 tomatoes. On the way home, all but 9 get mushed and ruined. How many tomatoes are left in good condition? Answer: 9 tomatoes

25. Riddle: A carton contains apples that were divided into two equal parts and sold to two traders Tarun and Tanmay. Tarun had two fruit shops and decided to sell an equal number of apples in both shops, A and B respectively. A mother visited shop A and bought all the apples in the shop for her kids. But one apple was left after dividing all the apples among her children. If each child got one apple, what is the minimum number of apples in the carton? Answer: 12. That is the minimum possible number of apples for each child to have at least one.

26. Riddle: A duck was given $9, a spider was given $36, and a bee was given $27. Based on this information, how much money would be given to a cat? Answer: $18 ($4.50 per leg).

27. Riddle: The speed of a train is 3 meters/second and it takes 10 seconds to cross a lamp post. What is the length of the train? Answer: 30 meters. The time taken by the train to pass the stationary object is equal to the length of the train divided by the speed of the train.

28. Riddle: It takes 12 men 12 hours to construct a wall. Then how long will it take for 6 men to complete the same wall? Answer: It would probably take 24 hours, but there is no need to make it again. The job is already done!

29. Riddle: What are four consecutive prime numbers that, when added, equal 220? Answer: 220= 47+ 53+ 59+ 61

30. Riddle: An athlete can jump FOREVER. However, every time she jumps, she goes half as far as her prior jump. On her very first jump, she goes half a foot. On her second jump, she goes a quarter of a foot, and so. How long will it take her to get a foot away from her starting point? Answer: She will NEVER travel a full foot because the distance keeps being reduced by half.

Say it with us—math is cool! Which of our math questions got you thinking? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

And don’t forget to try a Let’s Roam Scavenger Hunt or any of our other activities that will let you roam from home . When you’re ready to get out and about, we have city art walks and scavenger hunts all over the world. Try one today!

Frequently Asked Questions

Use puzzles, riddles, and games based on mathematics. This list of math riddles should help! Or consider a math-themed scavenger hunt —you’ll have a little math master on your hands!

Math riddles make math more fun and, when learning is fun, it becomes easier. Before you know it, you (or your children) will be thinking like a true mathematician!

888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1,000. Find this and 30 math riddles at LetsRoam.com, along with other family-friendly activities , including a math-themed scavenger hunt .

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Engaging Math Riddles for Kids and Their Benefits

Easy math riddles for kids they’re sure to love, simple math riddles for kids for a fun break, tricky math riddles for kids to hook your child, enjoy hard math riddles for kids.

Math is a dynamic subject that is either enjoyed by kids or loathed, and this impression tends to stick around in the minds of most kids as they grow up. Math riddles for kids can be a great resource to dispel the fear of the subject and introduce them to how interesting it can be from an early age. 

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Math riddles help kids improve their critical thinking skills, have higher levels of awareness in general, and develop problem-solving skills that will benefit them in other ways. 

If you are on the lookout for some fun math riddles for kids , we have you covered! This article lists interesting math riddles, so get ready for some fun sessions. 

Before we begin, let’s look into some of the benefits of math riddles. 

Here are some of the benefits of kids’ math riddles:

1. Awareness of metalinguistics

Math riddles help kids better understand and become aware of metalinguistics, i.e., the nature of language, as riddles are wrapped with tricky words to create a sense of ambiguity. They contain metaphors and numerous perspective shifts, which probe kids to interpret each word and look between the lines for the answers. 

As they search for hidden meanings and intonations, they become acquainted with different linguistic devices, such as homophones and synonyms. 

2. Improved analytical and numerical skills

Kids’ math riddles foster them to think outside the box and explore possibilities that automatically boost their critical thinking skills. With more practice, they can sharpen their numerical skills as well.

It won’t be long before a kid can answer the hardest riddles within seconds, for the brain’s analytical capacity to respond to riddles is much better and improves with time and practice. 

3. Increases concentration and comprehension

Math riddles are an excellent way to improve a child’s concentration and comprehension skills. Solving math riddles requires a lot of patience and focus, so this helps kids develop better concentration. They also need to review the riddles thoroughly, look into each riddle, and interpret them, which fosters their comprehension skills. 

4. Mental flexibility

Math riddles for young kids have an element of curiosity, which makes kids bend from traditional ways of looking at a problem and think out of the box. This helps to improve critical thinking skills in kids. 

These skills come in handy in situations where conventional approaches don’t work. Kids start to think of all possibilities as they try to solve riddles, and with practice, this becomes a reflex, aiding them in critical problem-solving. 

5. Get rid of the fear of the subject

Most importantly, math riddles are fun and mind-bending, which takes away the element of fear from kids who think they are not good enough at the subject. Fun math riddles create an entertaining and interactive environment that automatically makes math learning fun . 

Now that we have explored the benefits of math riddles for children, here’s a list of math riddles that will help your little one fall in love with the subject.

Funny Math Riddles for Kids to Make Them Roll on the Floor Laughing

Funny math riddles are always intriguing and keep children guessing. Let’s take a look at some fun math riddles.

1. If you add a number to the number itself, multiply it by 4, and divide the product by 8, you will get the same number again. What is that number?

– Any number

2. If Mary has seven daughters, and each has a brother, how many kids does Mary have?

– Eight: one boy and seven girls

3. If seven people meet each other and each shakes hands only once with each of the others, how many handshakes will there have been?

– 21 handshakes

4. Three times of which number is no greater than two times the same number?

5. How many sides can you see in a circle?

– Two sides—inside and outside. 

6. If it is given that 81 x 9 = 801, how can you make this equation true?

– You need to flip your page upside down, and the equation will be true. Because 108 = 6 x 18.

7. Two children leave for school. One leaves fifteen minutes before the other; however, they cross each other in the school parking lot. Which child is nearer to the school?

– Both the children are at the same distance from their school, as they are at the same place at the same time. 

8. If two math books were complaining, what would they say to each other?

– I have way too many problems. 

9. Isabella has a big family of twenty cousins, ten uncles, and ten aunts. Now each cousin has an aunt who is not Isabella’s aunt. Who is that aunt?

– The aunt is Isabella’s mother. 

10. When Harry was six years old, his little sister Mary was half his age. How old will Mary be when Harry is forty years old?

– She will be thirty-seven years old. 

Riddles don’t always have to be hard right? We have listed some easy math riddles that are super easy to solve. 

1. What will be the next number in this pattern 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, . . .

2. If one bag has one pound of cotton and another bag has one pound of iron, which one do you think will be heavier?

– Both will weigh the same—one pound.

3. Name a 3D shape that looks the same as your favorite ice cream.

– Cone

4. Name the shape that has no angles but is not a circle. Hint: It looks like an egg.

– Oval

5. Tom said that, in two years, his age would be twice as old as he was exactly five years ago. What is Tom’s age now?

– Tom is twelve years old; in two years, he will be fourteen, which is twice when he was seven years old. 

6. If four chairs can be made by four men in four hours, how many chairs can be made by eight men in eight hours?

– Sixteen chairs

7. If you are given three positive numbers and have been asked to add them and then multiply them, the result will be the same. Mention these numbers.

– 1, 2, and 3

8. How many bubbles will be left if Tom blows 18 bubbles in a fair, pops 5, eats four, and pops nine and blows 1?

– One

9. If I am a number who has a couple of friends, which number am I?

– Three

10. What is it that a sphere has three of, a circle has only two of, and a point has none?

– Dimensions

Easy yet hard to crack for some, here are some simple math riddles your kids will enjoy:

1. If Jake, Jacob, and Jerry attended a football match and each purchased one ticket, how many tickets did they buy in total?

2. Tom went to the supermarket and bought ten potatoes. On his way home, he discovered that all but nine potatoes were rotten. How many potatoes were edible?

– Nine

3. Name the favorite dessert of a math teacher.

– Pi(e)

4. If two moms and daughters are baking a cake each for Christmas, how many cakes should there be in all?

– Three (because one mom is also a grandmother, and one daughter is also a mom. There are three people: one grandmother, one mother, and one daughter.)

5. What will be the answer if you are given a telephone and asked to multiply all the digits on the pad?

– The answer will always be zero, as the telephone pad has the number 0, and anything multiplied by zero will always be zero. 

6. How can you use five 4s to get 55?

– 100

7. In a three-digit number, the second digit is four times greater than the third digit. The first digit is three times less than the double digit. Guess the number. 

– 141

8. What would the triangle say to the circle if the triangle and the circle were arguing?

– You don’t have a point. 

9. If you place three matches on the table and ask your friend to add two more matchsticks on the table and make it two, how will they do it?

– They can add two matches to the three to make a Roman numeral eight (VIII).

10. How can you get 1000 from the number 8 using only addition?

– 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1000

Intriguing and creative, these tricky math riddles will keep your kids in problem-solving mode.

1. A clothing store sells vests at $20, socks at $25, ties at $15, and blouses at $30. How much would be the cost of a pair of underwear?

– $45, as the price is devised at $5 for each letter required to spell the item. 

2. If you add 5 to 9, how will you get 2?

– If you add 5 hours to 9 a.m., you will get 2 p.m.

3. How many times can you subtract five from the number 25?

– Only once, because the moment you subtract five from 25, it is no longer 25; it becomes 20. 

4. If two’s a couple and three’s a crowd, what are four and five?

5. Mention an odd number that becomes even when you take away an alphabet from it.

– Seven (When you take away the “S,” it becomes even.)

6. If you have three hens on your farm, which lay three eggs in three minutes, how many hens do you need to lay five hundred eggs in five hundred minutes?

– Only three because all three hens will be laying eggs simultaneously and at a fixed pace. 

7. How can you make 45 using only 4s?

8. Which number keeps going up and never reduces?

– Your age.

9. If your and your neighbor’s house numbers are written in reverse, and the difference in the house numbers ends in two, what are the house numbers?

– 19 and 91

10. If a mobile phone and a mobile phone case cost $110 in total, and the price of the mobile phone is $100 more than the case, what would be the price of the phone?

– The price of the phone will be $105. 

Help your little ones think outside the box and develop logical thinking skills faster with some of these hard math riddles. Help your little ones think outside the box and develop logical thinking skills faster. Go on and try a math riddle for kids on kids; see what they think of it! You can also check out SplashLearn for more interesting math puzzles and games for kids.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

From what age should kids be introduced to math riddles.

Kids can be introduced to math riddles between the ages of five and seven, which is when they start developing critical thinking skills.

How do math riddles help socially?

When played in groups, math riddles create a healthy competitive spirit and help kids engage with their team members and think of different possibilities to solve a riddle.

How do solving riddles help children develop cognitive skills?

Solving riddles enables children to focus on a particular problem, which stimulates the brain and helps in building better cognitive skills.

Can math riddles help children perform better in math at school?

Engaging and fun math riddles help greatly improve a child’s performance in any subject as it boosts their focus and critical thinking abilities. So, math riddles for kids can absolutely help them perform better in math at school.

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38 Hard Math Riddles (With Answers) For Future Geniuses

Stump the mathletes of the family with these extra-tricky math riddles and puzzles.

No one’s indifferent to the long-form math word problem with the opening lines, “There are 67 people on a train traveling west at 45 miles an hour.” Those verbal equations tend to either thrill us or fill us with dread. While we all tumble effortlessly through daily encounters with simple arithmetic, sometimes math riddles and word problems stop us in our tracks. They’re often a thorny and delightful combination of the abstract and the real world, which is why they’re perfect for kids.

To solve a math riddle, kids must convert a few sentences about a real-life scenario into the right combination of mathematical equations. Using logic, creative problem solving, and common sense, children can crack any code, including math riddles. Although tough, the harder ones especially offer a gratifying challenge to kids (and, let’s be frank, adults).

Related: 120 Funny Jokes For Kids (And Dads Who Like Dumb Jokes)

Fortunately, shrouding a difficult equation behind a fun and engaging riddle is the best way to get your kid interested in math well before they face the great divide in eighth grade caused by the quadratic formula. These tricky math riddles keep kids entertained while quietly sharpening their logic and math skills. Odds are, you’ll learn something, too.

Basic Math Riddles For Kids

1. Riddle: If there are four apples and you take away three, how many do you have? / Answer: You took three apples, so you have three!

2. Riddle : A grandmother, two mothers, and two daughters went to a baseball game together and bought one ticket each. How many tickets did they buy in total? / Answer : Three tickets / Explanation: The grandmother is also a mother, and the mother is also a daughter.

3. Riddle: Eggs are 12 cents a dozen. How many eggs can you get for a dollar? / Answer: 100 eggs for a penny each

4. Riddle: How can you add eight fours together so the total adds up to 500? / Answer: 444 + 44 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 500

5. Riddle: If seven people meet each other and each shake hands only once with each of the others, how many handshakes happened? / Answer: 21

Middle School Math Riddles

1. Riddle: A 300 ft. train is traveling 300 ft. per minute must travel through a 300 ft. long tunnel. How long will it take the train to travel through the tunnel?

Answer: Two minutes. It takes the front of the train one minute, and the rest of the train will take two minutes to clear the tunnel.

2. Riddle: A cellphone and a phone case cost $110 in total. The cell phone costs $100 more than the phone case. How much was the cellphone?

Answer: $105 (not $110)

3. Riddle: Robert and David played several golf matches against each other in a week. They played for a pizza at each match, but no pizzas were purchased until the end of the week. If Robert and David had the same number of wins at any time, those pizzas were canceled. Robert won four matches (but no pizzas), and David won three pizzas. How many rounds of golf were played? /

Explanation: David won seven matches — four to cancel out Robert’s four wins and three more to win the pizzas.

4. Riddle: I am a three-digit number. My second digit is four times bigger than the third digit. My first digit is three less than my second digit. Who am I?

Answer: 141

5. Riddle: I add five to nine and get two. The answer is correct, but how?

Answer: When it is 9 a.m., add five hours to it, and you will get to 2 p.m.

6. Riddle: A half is a third of it. What is it?

Answer: 1 1/2

7. Riddle: When Miguel was 6 years old, his little sister, Leila, was half his age. If Miguel is 40 years old today, how old is Leila?

Answer: She is 37 years old.

8. Riddle: Tom was asked to paint numbers outside 100 apartments, which means he will have to paint numbers one through 100. How many times will he have to paint the number eight?

Answer: 20 times / Explanation: (8, 18, 28, 38, 48, 58, 68, 78, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 98)

9. Riddle: What can you put between a seven and an eight so that the result is greater than a seven but less than an eight?

Answer: A decimal because 7.8 is greater than seven but less than eight.

10. Riddle: “How much is this bag of potatoes?” asked the man. “Thirty-two pounds divided by half of its own weight,” said the grocer. How much did the potatoes weigh?

Answer: 8 lbs

11. Riddle: When Lisa was 6 years old, her sister Lucy was half her age. If Lisa is 40 years old today, how old is Lucy?

Explanation: Lucy is three years younger than Lisa.

12. Riddle: You are given three positive numbers. You can add these numbers and multiply them together. The result you get will be the same. What are the numbers?

Answer: One, two, and three.

Animal Math Riddles

1. Riddle: There are 100 pairs of dogs in a zoo; a pair of babies are born for each dog. Unfortunately, 23 of the dogs have not survived. How many dogs are left in total?

Answer: 977 dogs

Explanation: 100 x 2 = 200; 200 + 800 = 1,000; 1,000 – 23 = 977

2. Riddle: If a hen and a half lay an egg and a half in a day and a half, how many eggs will half a dozen hens lay in half a dozen days?

Answer: Two dozen

3. Riddle: Leon works at the aquarium. When he tries to put each turtle in its own tank, he has one turtle too many. But if he puts two turtles per tank, he has one tank too many. How many turtles and how many tanks does Leon have?

Answer: He has three tanks and four turtles.

4. Riddle: A duck was given $9, a spider was given $36, and a bee was given $27. Based on this information, how much money would be given to a cat?

Answer: $18 ($4.50 per leg)

5. Riddle: If you buy a rooster to lay eggs and you expect to get three eggs each day for breakfast, how many eggs will you have after three weeks?

Answer: None. Roosters don’t lay eggs.

6. Riddle: 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. All but seven ran away.

Fun Math Riddles

1. Riddle: A group of students were standing in the blazing sun facing due west on a march past event. The leader shouted at them: Right turn! About turn! Left turn! At the end of these commands, which direction are the students facing now?

Answer: East

Explanation: They will turn 90 degrees in a right turn and then 180 degrees in an about-turn, and finally turn 90 degrees in a left turn. Therefore, the students are now facing east.

2. Riddle: Which weighs more, 16 ounces of soda or a pound of solid gold?

Answer: Neither. They both weigh the same!

3. Riddle: At the time of shipping, Tom can place 10 small boxes or eight large boxes into a carton. A total of 96 boxes were sent in one shipment. The number of small boxes was less than the large boxes. What is the total number of cartons he shipped?

Answer: 11 cartons

Explanation: Four small boxes (410 = 40 boxes) + seven large boxes (78 = 56 boxes). So, 96 boxes and 11 total cartons.

4. Riddle: What’s the maximum number of times you can subtract five from 25?

Answer: Only once. This is because when you subtract five the first time, 25 becomes 20, then 15, and so on.

5. Riddle: The total cost of a pair of shoes and a hoodie is $150. The hoodie cost $100 more than the pair of shoes. How much does each item cost?

Answer: The hoodie costs $125, and the shoes cost $25.

6. Riddle: You have two U.S. coins with a total value of 30 cents. One of them is not a nickel. What are the two coins?

Answer: One is a quarter, and one is a nickel.

7. Riddle: I am a three-digit number. My tens digit is six more than my ones digit. My hundreds digit is eight less than my tens digit. What number am I?

Answer: 193

8. Riddle: A man is twice as old as his little sister. He is also half as old as his dad. Over a period of 50 years, his sister’s age will become half of their dad’s age. What is the age of the man now?

Answer: 50 years old

8. Riddle: If four men can build four tables in four hours, how many can eight men build in eight hours?

Answer : 16 tables

9. Riddle : There is a clothing store in Dallas. The owner has made his own method of pricing items. A vest costs $20, socks cost $25, a tie costs $15, and a blouse costs $30. Using the method, how much would a pair of underwear cost?

Answer: $45

Explanation: The pricing method consists of charging $5 for each letter required to spell the item.

10. Riddle: If you go to the movies and you’re paying, is it cheaper to take one friend to the movies twice or two friends to the movies at the same time?

Answer: It’s cheaper to take two friends at the same time.

Explanation: In this case, you would only be buying three tickets, whereas if you take the same friend twice, you are purchasing four tickets.

11. Riddle: A little boy goes shopping and purchases 12 tomatoes. On the way home, all but nine get mushed and ruined. How many tomatoes are left in good condition?

Answer: Nine tomatoes.

12. Riddle: What occurs twice a week, once a year but never in a day?

Answer: The letter E.

13. Riddle: What 4 days of the week start with the letter T?

Answer: Tuesday, Thursday, Today, and Tomorrow.

14. Riddle: What occurs once every minute, twice in every moment, and yet never in a thousand years?

Answer: The letter M.

15. Riddle: How did the soccer fan know before the game that the score would be 0-0?

Answer: The score is always 0-0 before the game.

Editor’s note: All of these mind-boggling math riddles are in the public domain. However, we spotted a few of these on Kids Math Games Online , Get Riddles , Riddles.com , Everything Mom , Mash Up Math , and Greeting Card Poet , which we can’t recommend strongly enough.

This article was originally published on Feb. 26, 2021

Math Riddles for Kids: Puzzling Fun for Budding Mathematicians

A fun way to help kids become better critical thinkers and put their math skills to good use.

Math riddles are a fun way for kids to develop their math skills and work on problem solving. Kids will enjoy the challenge. You can use these at home or in the classroom for a daily math question.

Math riddles and brain teasers help kids think more creatively about math problems and develop critical thinking skills. Most of the work kids do in math class doesn’t involve this type of thinking, but it’s an important skill for kids as they advance in their math courses.

Below are 40 math riddles for kids, split into easy and challenging. 

Easy Math Riddles

These easy math riddles are fun for kids who are in lower elementary. They’ll need some basic math skills like adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. Older kids may also enjoy some of these as a warm-up before doing harder problems.

1. Tony is shorter than Jake but taller than Amaya. Shelley is shorter than Jake but taller than Tony. Put the kids in order from tallest to shortest.

Answer: 1. Jake 2. Shelley 3. Tony  4. Amaya

2. Movie tickets cost $8. Ryan buys 3 tickets, Jess buys 1, and Liv by 4. How much did they spend in all?

Answer: $64

3. Ayliyah has 6 cartons of eggs. Each carton holds one dozen eggs. How many eggs does she have in all?

Answer: 72 eggs

4. Callie’s little sister Tara was half her age when Callie was 18. Callie is now 30. How old is Tara?

Answer: Tara is 21

5. Farmer Brown has 5 cows, 7 hens, 3 ducks, and 4 goats. How many legs do the animals have in all?

Answer: 56 legs

6. John has 2 daughters. Each daughter has 1 brother. How many kids does John have?

Answer: 3 (If the sisters each have 1 brother, there’s only 1 brother in the family.)

7. What number always gives you the same answer when you multiply it by any number?

8. 2 mothers and 2 daughters each bake a cake. Only 3 cakes are baked. How is this possible?

Answer: It’s a mother, her daughter, and her daughter’s daughter

9. Put me on my side and I am everything. Cut me in half and I am nothing. What am I?

Answer: The number 8 – on its side, it looks like the infinity symbol – when cut in half, it looks like a zero

10. Santiago has to write the numbers 1-100 on raffle tickets. How many times will he write the number 4?

Answer: 20 times

4, 14, 24, 34, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 54, 64, 74, 84, 94

11. You can purchase a dozen eggs for $0.12. How many eggs can you get if you have a dollar?

Answer: 100 – each egg costs 1 cent

12. Leta was running the 100-yard dash. At the last minute, she passed the person in second place and crossed the finish line. What place did Leta finish?

Answer: Second

13. There are four cupcakes on a table. Josiah takes away 1. How many cupcakes does he have now?

Answer: 1, he only took 1 cupcake and took the other 3

14. How many squares can you see?

Answer: 14 squares

15. Eric has two coins totaling $0.30. One of the coins is not a nickel. What two coins does Eric have?

Solutions: One quarter and one nickel – one of the coins isn’t a nickel, but one is.

16. Farmer Brown has 2 chickens that lay 2 eggs per minute. How many chickens does Farmer Brown need if he wants to get 200 eggs in 200 minutes?

Answer: 2 chickens (each chicken lays 1 egg per minute)  

17. Rosa drew 2 triangles, 1 square, and 3 rectangles. How many lines did she draw?

Answer: 22 sides

18. Bai’s parents had 5 children. Each child is 3 years apart. Bai is the youngest and he is 5. How old is Bai’s oldest sibling?

19. Marco reads one book each week. How many books does he read in a year?

20. Haley has a pound of cotton candy. Ji-hyun has a bag of popcorn that weighs one pound. Ajay has one pound of peanuts. Whose weighs the most?

Answer: They all weigh the same. A pound is a pound. The amounts in each bag will differ.

Hard Math Riddles

These challenging math riddles are sure to give your kid’s brain a workout. Older kids and adults will find them fun. Younger kids who have advanced math skills will also enjoy tackling these.

21. Josef flips a coin 17 times. Each time he flips it, it lands on tails. What are the chances it will land on tails for the 18th flip?

Answer: 50/50 (a coin toss always has a 50/50 chance)

22. You add a number to itself, multiply by 2, then divide by 4. You get the original number again. What number is it?

Answer: This trick works with any number!

23. Meera has a bag of marbles. There are 31 red marbles, 6 blue marbles, and 14 yellow marbles. If she reaches in and pulls out one marble at a time without looking, how many marbles must she draw until she’s guaranteed at least two different colors?

Answer: 32 marbles. Although it’s unlikely, she could draw 31 red marbles in a row. The 32nd marble would have to be a different color.

24. Use only the digit 8 to add to 1000.

Answer: 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 

25. How many days are in 4 years?

Answer: 1,461. One of the years has 366 days due to a leap year.

26. 14 friends are at Shawn’s house for a party. Of the kids, 3 are wearing shoes, 5 are wearing socks, and 2 are wearing both. How many of the kids are barefoot? 

Answer: 8 kids are barefoot

27. If you count from 1 to 1,000, which single-digit number between 1-9 will you say the most times?

Answer: 1 – you’ll have the same amount of all the numbers except for 1 because you use it in 1,000

28. What three numbers can you add or multiply and get the same answer?

29. The equation 5 + 5 + 5 = 550 is incorrect. Can you draw just one straight line to make it true?

Answer: Draw a vertical line on either the first or second + sign. It makes it into a 4. The equation is now 545 + 5 = 550 or 5 + 545 = 550.

30. Mateo has a large jar of sugar. He needs exactly 1 cup of sugar to make lemonade. He doesn’t have anything to measure one cup, but he has a 5-cup container and a 3-cup container. Is there any way for Mateo to get just 1 cup?

Answer: Mateo starts by filling the 3-cup container. He pours it into the 5-cup container. He refills the 3-cup and pours that into the 5-cup container as well. Because there’s only room in the 5-cup for 2 more cups, he’s left with 1 cup of sugar in the 3-cup container.

31. Elia has an unkown number of books on her shelf. She chooses a book that is 3rd from the right and 5th from the left. How many books are on her shelf?

Answer: 7 books

32. 3 bakers can bake 3 loaves of bread in three hours. How many loaves can 6 bakers make in 6 hours?

Answer: 12 loaves  

33. When you add two consecutive numbers, you get 31. What are the two numbers?

Answer: 15 and 16

35. The pet store has an interesting pricing system. Cats cost $8. Parakeets are $4. A spider is $16. Bees are $12 each. Fish are free. How much is a dog?

Answer: $8 – the animals are priced by how many legs they have.

36. Using the number 8 exactly 8 times, write an addition equation that equals 1,000.

Answer: 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1,000

37. You’re planning to take some friends to the zoo and you’re going to buy everyone’s tickets. Would it be cheaper for you to take 1 friend to the zoo on Monday and 1 to the zoo on Tuesday or to take 2 friends on the same day?

Answer: It’s cheaper to take 2 friends on the same day. You’ll buy 3 tickets – yours and theirs. If you take your friends on 2 different days, you’ll buy 2 tickets for them and 2 tickets for yourself.  

38. A shirt and a pair of pants cost $75 together. The pants cost $35 more than the shirt. How much is each item?

Pants = $55

Shirt = $20

39. Laila and her friend Angelo go fishing. They get 30 bites and all but 8 get away. How many fish did they catch? 

Answer: 8 fish – all the others got away

40. A teacher knows that one of his students cheated on a test. He’s narrowed it down to four students. When he questions the students, he gets these answers:

Ana: “It wasn’t Benny. It was Danvir.”

Benny: “It wasn’t Chun. It wasn’t Danvir.”

Chun: “It wasn’t Danvir. It was Benny.”

Danvir: “It was Chun. It was Benny.”

Each student told one truth and one lie . Who cheated?

Answer: Chun

Funny Math Jokes for Kids

Now that you’ve used your brain power, it’s time to tickle your funny bone. Enjoy these funny math jokes!

Q: Why was 6 afraid of 7?

A: Because 7 8 9 (7 ate 9)

Q: What was the math teacher’s favorite dessert?

Q: Are monsters good at math?

A: No, not unless it’s Count Dracula.

Q: How can you make 7 an even number?

A: Take away the “S”

Q: What do you call a group of dudes in a math class?

A: Alge-bros

Q: What did the 0 say to the 8?

A: “Nice belt.”

Q: What did the triangle say to the circle?

A: “You’re pointless.”

Q: What do you call a hen who counts her own eggs?

A: A mathemachicken

Q: Why did the two 4s skip dinner?

A: They already ate (8).

Math Riddles Enhance Learning

Math riddles give kids a chance to apply their math skills in different situations outside of the basic word problems. Riddles also help kids develop their critical thinking skills. Be sure to share these riddles with your child. Teachers may want to use them as bell ringers to get their students’ minds warmed up. For more math riddles for kids, you can check out this list from our friends at Brighterly.

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• Feb 7, 2023

Funny Math Riddles for Elementary Kids: A Hilarious Way to Learn Math

Math can sometimes be a bit of a challenge for kids, but with the right approach, it can be fun and engaging. Introducing math riddles to elementary school kids is a great way to make math more interesting and enjoyable. Not only will kids learn math concepts, but they'll also improve their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Here are some funny math riddles that are perfect for elementary school kids:

Why did the math book look so mad? Answer: Because it had too many problems.

What do you call an angle that's always in a rush? Answer: A hurrycane.

How does a penguin build its house? Answer: Igloos it together.

What do you get when you cross a snake and a pie? Answer: A python.

What did one math book say to the other? Answer: "Don't bother me. I've got my own problems!"

What is a math teacher's favorite dessert? Answer: Pi.

Why was the math paper so sad? Answer: Because it had a lot of problems.

What's the difference between a math teacher and a train? Answer: One's a calculating machine, and the other's a choo-choo machine.

Why did the math lesson go so quickly? Answer: Because it was so easy!

Why did the math student hate geometry? Answer: Because it was always getting squared away.

These funny math riddles are sure to bring a smile to any elementary school student's face. Encourage kids to work together to solve the riddles, and to create their own riddles to challenge their classmates. With a little bit of humor, math can be a subject that kids look forward to learning!

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