30 Christmas Riddles for Kids (With Answers)

By Cedar & Ledger

Christmas riddles are a free way to fill a car ride, a classroom break or the wait before dinner. Below are 30 kid-friendly riddles with answers, sorted from easy to tricky, plus three ways to turn them into a game. Read the riddle, give a few seconds to think, then reveal the answer.

Easy riddles (ages 4-7)

1. I am cold and white, and I fall from the sky in winter. What am I? Snow
2. I have a carrot nose and coal eyes, but I melt when the sun comes out. What am I? A snowman
3. I am striped red and white and shaped like a hook. What am I? A candy cane
4. I hang by the fireplace and get filled with treats. What am I? A stocking
5. I am green all year, and in December people cover me with lights. What am I? A Christmas tree (an evergreen)
6. I am wrapped in paper and tied with a bow. What am I? A present
7. I have antlers and pull a sleigh. What am I? A reindeer
8. I am made of gingerbread and have a candy roof. What am I? A gingerbread house
9. I am warm and chocolatey, and you drink me in a mug. What am I? Hot cocoa
10. I shine at the very top of the tree. What am I? A star (or tree topper)

Medium riddles (ages 7-10)

1. What do you call a snowman in July? A puddle
2. What has a neck but no head and wears a cap? A bottle
3. The more of me you take, the more you leave behind in the snow. What am I? Footsteps
4. What can you catch in winter but never throw? A cold
5. I have keys but open no doors, and I play carols. What am I? A piano
6. What goes up when the snow comes down? An umbrella
7. I run all over the yard but never move, and at night I twinkle. What am I? A string of lights
8. What gets wetter the more it dries the dishes after Christmas dinner? A towel
9. I have a face and two hands but no arms or legs, and I tell you how long until Christmas. What am I? A clock
10. What has many needles but can't sew? A pine tree

Tricky riddles (ages 10 and up)

1. What month has 28 days? All of them (every month has at least 28)
2. If there are 3 cookies and you take away 2, how many do you have? 2, the ones you took
3. What has to be broken before you can use it when baking cookies? An egg
4. What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment and never in a thousand years? The letter M
5. I'm light as a feather, but even the strongest person can't hold me for long on a cold morning. What am I? Your breath
6. What can fill a whole room but takes up no space? Light (or the smell of cookies)
7. What word is spelled wrong in every dictionary? "Wrong"
8. A gift box is full, but it weighs less than when it was empty. What is inside? Holes
9. What has one eye but can't see, and helps sew a stocking? A needle
10. What is always coming but never arrives? Tomorrow

3 ways to play

1. Team points: split into two teams, one riddle per turn, 1 point for easy, 2 for medium, 3 for tricky. First to 15 wins.
2. Riddle hunt: hide the answer objects (a stocking, a candy cane, a mug) around the house and read a riddle at each stop.
3. Advent riddle: read one riddle a day from December 1 and save the hardest for Christmas Eve.

Tip: write each riddle on a card ahead of time so older kids can take turns being the host.

More holiday games

If your kids liked the riddle hunt, our Christmas Scavenger Hunt printable has ready-made clue cards, and our free Christmas scavenger hunt clues guide has 12 rhyming clues. For a bigger group, the Christmas Holiday Games pack and Christmas Bingo are no-prep and print at home.

Looking for more? Try our free Christmas trivia questions for kids with answers.

Related template: the christmas scavenger hunt template. Also see: the holiday games template · the christmas bingo printable template

See all Cedar & Ledger templates

Try the free holiday gift budget calculator →