• Kids love riddle games.kids image by Siberia from Fotolia.com
  
  Kids love riddles, and there's no better way to pass the time with them than a riddle game. These games can be fun, educational and can help children with thought and language development. A riddle game is basically a guessing game; the player must use his skill and wit to figure out the answer. Don't forget to keep a pencil and paper with you to demonstrate certain riddles and also to keep score.
  
  

Standard riddles

• The simplest riddles are short questions such as: "What coat can only be put on when wet?" Answer: A coat of paint, or "What's white when it's dirty?" Answer: A blackboard. Many of these short riddles can be found online. Award a point for each correct answer and perhaps award the child with the most points a small prize.
  
  

Palindromes

• A palindrome is a word that reads the same backwards and forwards. Get your kids to write down as many palindromes as they can or answer questions like "What word is the same not only backwards, but also upside down?" Answer: NOON. Or "Which palindrome did Adam use to introduce himself to Eve?" Answer: "Madam, I'm Adam."
  
  

Lateral thinking puzzles

• For older children, lateral thinking puzzles can be fun; such as "A man enters a bar and asks the barkeep for a glass of water. The barkeep pulls out a gun, whereupon the man thanks him and leaves. Why did the man thank him?" Answer: The man was suffering from hiccups, which the barkeep cured with a surprise. These puzzles can be real brain-teasers and will leave many scratching their heads in frustrated glee; numerous examples can be found online.
  
  

Number riddles

• For the more mathematically-inclined child, number-based riddles can be good. They can be as simple as "How many times can you take 6 away from 30?" Answer: Only once; after that it is no longer 30. Number riddles can help a child feel more at ease with math.
  
  

Funny riddles

• Younger children delight in word play, and will enjoy such riddles as "Why do hummingbirds hum? Because they can't remember the words" or "What do you call a gorilla with a banana in each ear? It doesn't matter, he can't hear you."
  
  

Teams

• Optical illusions can be popular.optical illusion image by dip from Fotolia.com
  
  If there are several children, you might like to organize them into two or more teams and give them a variety of riddles to solve. Why not print out some optical illusions for the children to look at too? These visual riddles and puzzles are very popular too.