Riddles are often called brain teasers for a reason. They help your children to think outside the box and in multi-dimensional ways. When was the last time that you went over some riddles with your children? Pick up a book at the library or a bookstore, or go to a website listed below to have some fun time.
I love riddles! When you are driving with your children or spending time with them in other ways, asking them riddles is a great way to pass the time and help them learn. After asking the riddle, try not to give the answer right away if your children are struggling to find the answer. Help them on the journey to find that answer. For example, here is a good riddle to get your children to think logically:
Q: You walk into a room with a match, a kerosene lamp, a candle, and a fireplace. Which do you light first?
A: The match.
If your children do not get the correct answer right away, ask such questions as: can a candle light itself? Of course, the answer is “no”. Ask that same question for each of the other items – a kerosene lamp and a fireplace. The answers would still be “no”. For any of those 3 items to get “light”, you would have to light the match first.
Please be warned that there are some very difficult riddles out there and some that do not make much sense. Review the riddles yourself before asking them to your children. Is the riddle age appropriate? Will my child learn from the riddle?
Here are some websites that are filled with interesting and challenging riddles: