A riddle hunt is the simplest adventure there is. Each riddle names a place in the house, the next riddle is waiting there, and the last one leads to the treasure. A sheet of paper and twenty minutes of setup, and it works from about five years old to about eleven.
Most riddle lists are written by adults who already know the answers, which is why so many are either too vague to solve or too obvious to enjoy. Every riddle below points at one place in an ordinary house, and where two places could fit, it says so.
Set up the route first
- Choose eight to twelve places, fewer for younger children. Spread them across the house, so nobody finds the next riddle while standing at the last one.
- Write the riddles on cards and number them on the back.
- Keep riddle 1 in your hand. It is handed over, never hidden.
- Walk the route. Go to the answer of riddle 1 and hide riddle 2 there. Go to the answer of riddle 2 and hide riddle 3 there. Keep going until the answer of the last riddle, which is where the treasure goes.
- Keep a list of the places in your pocket, in order. It is your answer key, and the only way to rescue the hunt when a card goes missing.
Riddles for five to seven
Short, rhyming, and about things they use every day. Read them out loud. For children who do not read yet, the riddle can be a picture instead: a drawing of the place, or a photograph of it taken so close up that it takes a moment to recognize.
- I hum and I hum, and I am cold as snow. Where do the milk and the yogurt go? The fridge. Tape the clue to the door, not inside.
- Every night you lay your head on me. Lift me up, and you will see. The pillow.
- I have a tongue, but I cannot talk. I go with you on every walk. A shoe. Tuck the clue inside one of a pair by the door.
- When you smile at me, I smile at you. Look where you see your face for your next clue. The mirror.
- Fill me with bubbles, then climb right in. I wash you clean from your toes to your chin. The bathtub. On the edge, where it stays dry.
- I have soft fur, but I am not a pet. I am the cuddliest friend you ever met. A favorite stuffed toy.
- You sleep on me every night. Look under me, and hold on tight! Under the bed.
- Before you come in, you wipe your feet on me. Lift up my corner. What do you see? The doormat.
Riddles for seven to nine
Still rhyming, but the answer should take a moment of thought.
- I have a face and two hands, but I cannot wave or clap. I tick all day, and I never take a nap. A clock with hands. Skip this one if every clock in the house is digital.
- I spin and I spin, but I never get dizzy. When the clothes get muddy, I get busy. The washing machine. Tape the clue to the outside of the door.
- I wear a hat, but I have no head. Switch me on to read in bed. The bedside lamp.
- I drink water, but I never eat. I stand in dirt, but I have no feet. A houseplant. Under the pot.
- I have two arms, but I cannot hug. I sit in the living room on the rug. The couch. Under a cushion.
- I have a spine, but I do not have a bone. I tell a whole story all on my own. A book. Tuck the clue inside the front cover of one that stands out, the biggest or the one on top, or a full shelf becomes a very long search.
- I keep your socks in pairs, most of the time. Open me up to find the next rhyme. The sock drawer.
- I have four legs, but I cannot walk. You sit at me to eat and talk. The kitchen table. Tape the clue underneath.
- Twice a day I scrub your teeth. My cup has something underneath. The toothbrush cup. Under it, never in it.
Harder riddles for ten and up
At ten, rhymes start to feel young. These are the old riddles, the kind with one clever turn in them, and they are better read than heard.
- What gets wetter the more it dries? A towel.
- What has keys but opens no locks? A piano, or a computer keyboard. Use whichever you have, and not both.
- What goes up and down but never moves? The stairs. On a step halfway up.
- What is full of holes but still holds water? A sponge. Under the one by the sink.
- What has to be broken before you can use it? An egg. Tape the clue inside the lid of the egg carton.
- What has a head and a tail, but no body? A coin. Under the piggy bank, or in the jar of change.
- What has eyes but cannot see? A potato. In the bag of potatoes.
- What can you catch but not throw? A cold. In the box of tissues. It takes two steps to get there, which makes it the best one on this list.
Three places never to hide a clue
- Inside anything that heats up. The oven, the microwave, the toaster. Somebody preheats the oven for the pizza, and the clue is gone, or worse, on fire.
- Inside anything that runs. The dishwasher, the washing machine, the dryer. Tape clues to the outside of the door.
- Anywhere a child has to climb. Above their shoulder is somewhere they will stand on a chair to reach.
When they are stuck on one
Give it a minute, then narrow it down rather than giving it away: first the room, it is in the kitchen, then the kind of thing, something cold. The answer said out loud turns a riddle into an instruction. How to Be a Good Escape Master has more on hints that keep the win theirs.
The last riddle
The last riddle leads to the treasure, so it deserves to be the best one, and the treasure deserves better than a bag on the counter. Lock it in a box, or hide it somewhere they walk past ten times during the hunt without noticing. 15 Clever Places to Hide a Scavenger Hunt Clue has more places, sorted by how hard they are to find.
Pirate Treasure Quest is this kind of hunt, already built, with a twist a riddle hunt does not have: ten coins to find, three of them marked, and a map that appears from behind your back once they work out which three.
