Last Updated on July 1, 2024 by Editorial Team
What you see might not be real and what you cannot see could be right beside you. That’s exactly why brain teasers are a great way to foster learning and developing critical thinking abilities.
Brain teasers fulfill the basic purpose of challenging little learners to decode the hidden meaning behind things. At times, it is important to challenge students to actively use their thinking abilities and apply them in the right direction. Brain teasers play an important role in developing cognitive skills where children learn to apply logic and reasoning skills while solving these exercises.
Brain teasers can be found in newspapers, magazines, or on online platforms. However, it is significant to provide little learners with brain teasers that accurately fit their knowledge abilities and understanding level. This article is a guide to different brain teasers and helps you explore innovative riddles, math problems, online games, and other brain teasers that offer a comprehensive learning environment. Towards the end of the article, you’ll find a puzzle activity book as a bonus for this post. So keep reading to discover thought-provoking yet fun puzzles for kids.
Tricky riddles that foster critical thinking
1. What can’t hold anything or grin but has hands and a face?
Answer:- The clock
2. What is constantly in front of you but is invisible?
Answer:- The future
3. It is a one-story house with all yellow inside. Yellow furnishings, doors, and walls. The stairs, what color?
Answer:- It’s a one-story house, thus there are none.
4. Without a hat or umbrella, a man who was out in the rain did not have a single hair on his head to become wet. Why?
Answer:- His hair was bald.
5. When the race is almost over, you pass the person in second place. Where did you place when the race was over?
Answer:- You came in second place, please.
6. There isn’t a single passenger on the boat you see that is supposed to be packed with people. How is that even doable?
Answer:- The entire crew of the boat is married.
7. You can’t touch me or catch me even though I constantly follow you and mimic your every action. So who am I?
Answer:- The shadow of your body
8. Even the strongest person can’t hold me for five minutes since I’m as light as a feather. So who am I?
Answer:–Breath
9. What technological advancement allows for direct wall viewing?
Answer:- A window
10. You want to share me if you have me, but if you do, you haven’t kept me. So who am I?
Answer:- A secret
11. What has hundreds of letters, a P at the beginning, and an E at the end?
Answer:- The post office
12. Every dictionary in English contains one word that is misspelled. It is what?
Answer:- False
13. When I’m younger, I’m taller; when I’m older, I’m shorter. So who am I?
Answer:- A candle
14. A man comments, “Brothers and sisters,” as he examines a painting. I don’t have any, but that man’s father is the son of my father. Who is shown in the picture?
Answer:- His son
15. I won’t cry if you take my skin off, but you could!
Answer:- An onion
Challenging yet fun math problems for an intelligent discussion
1. The day was spent fishing with two fathers, and two sons, but only three fish were caught. They could have one fish each with this amount. How is that even possible?
Answer
Only three individuals were fishing, to be exact. One father, his son, and his son’s son all existed. As one of them is both a father and a son, it follows that there were two fathers and two sons.
2. I’m an odd one out. I can make amends by taking away one letter. What digit am I?
Answer:- Seven
3. Although it’s pouring now at midnight, the weather is looking good for tomorrow and the following day. In the next 48 hours, will it be sunny?
Answer
Because it will be nighttime, there won’t be any sunshine. It will be midnight again in 48 hours.
4. A brand-new clothing store has a distinctive way of pricing its goods. $20 for a vest, $15 for a tie, $30 for a blouse, and $45 for underpants. What would the cost of pants be?
Answer
$25. The pricing scheme levies a $5 fee for each letter required to spell the product.
5. Add four and then multiply it by two. Then divide the result by 8 to get the original amount back. What is the number?
Answer
Any quantity. When a number is doubled, multiplied by four, and then multiplied by eight, it has actually been multiplied by eight. Dividing by eight will return the original number.
6. A duck is priced at Rs. 9, a spider at Rs. 36, and a bee at Rs. 27. What will a cat cost after accounting for this information?
Answer:- Rs.18 (Rs. 4.50 per leg)
7. If 1+9+8=1, then what is possible for 2+8+9?
Answer
Notice that the initial letter of each digit’s spelling is One+Nine+Eight=ONE and Two+Eight+Nine=TEN.
8. In under two minutes, two hens can lay two eggs. What is the total number of hens required, if this is the fastest pace conceivable, to lay 500 eggs in 500 minutes?
Answer:- 2 hens
9. Aron has two children. What are the chances that his younger child will also be a girl if the older one is?
Answer:- Fifty percent
10. A cell phone and its case together cost Rs. 110. The phone is Rs. 100 more expensive than its case. How much does the cell phone cost?
Answer:- Rs.105 (not Rs.110)
11. For a march past event, a group of students was positioned facing due west in the scorching sun. Right turn, the leader yelled at the group. Right turn! Turn left! What way are the pupils facing right now after these commands
Answer
East. They will make a 90-degree turn to the right, a 180-degree turn to the left, and then a 90-degree turn to the right again. The students are now facing east as a result.
12. When you multiply this number by another, the outcome is always greater. Yet if you multiply this number by any other number, nothing comes out. It is what?
Answer:- Zero
13. Two mothers are baking beside two daughters. But in the end, there are just 3 cakes. How is that even possible?
Answer
Only three people—a mother, her daughter, and the daughter’s daughter—are present in the kitchen.
14. Am I incorrect if I remark that a circle has two sides?
Answer
The statement is true since a circle has both an interior and an outside.
15. There is a golf club established exclusively for guys. 600 guys make up the club, and 5% of them all have at least one tattoo. Considering the remaining 95% of the group, 50% of the males have two tattoos, while the remaining men have none. How many tattoos can you count on seeing in the club?
Answer
600. 30 of them, or 5%, have one tattoo, according to the data. Half of the remaining 570 men—or the remaining 95%—have two tattoos, while the other half have none. This is the same as having a tattoo on all of them.
Interesting word games to boost vocabulary and language skills
Developing vocabulary skills is an essential part of any academic curriculum. The below-mentioned word games are a helpful way to boost knowledge about different words, and meanings and also develop basic language skills. Hence, these also serve as vocabulary games and grammar games for the kids.
1. Word Wipe

Word Wipe is an interesting vocabulary game and sets itself differently from other games. It is because students need to find words from the entire puzzled letters wherein the words are not given to them. The task is to wipe 3 letter words and find the maximum possible.
The timer calculates the time taken and students can also click on the bomb icon below to acquire help while playing the game. Such a game helps children develop concentration and a basic understanding of short words jumbled in an interesting manner.
2. Scramble Words

Scrambling has been an interesting game for little learners. In this game, different letters are placed in a jumbled manner and students need to swipe the letters to make a meaningful word. They can make as many words as possible to move ahead in the game. The screen also shows a box where some letters are displayed indicating the words that can be made with the hints.
More words make students eligible for a bonus letter added to the above box. The level ends when all letters mentioned in the box are then converted to meaningful words. Such a game helps children form new words, understand the meaning of already existing words, and scramble their minds to unscramble words.
3. Word Search

Word search is an engaging format for little learners to learn more about words and understand their meanings. This game is a classic way to enhance vocabulary as different words are listed on the left side of the game. The word puzzle is given on the right side with jumbled letters wherein students have to find the different words mentioned on the left side.
They need to swipe these words either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally to complete the puzzle. A timer calculates the time and that is how students can also monitor their progress in developing vocabulary and concentration. If they find it difficult, they can restart the game to find words faster.
4. 4 Images 1 Word

As the name suggests, this game is the one that tests the critical thinking capabilities of the brain. Visual communication is an important skill in little learners and that’s how this game focuses on it. In this game, there are 4 images displayed on the screen. All images indicate one word that fits them. Below the images, different letters are given in block format.
Students need to rearrange the letters by tapping on them and form the correct word. Here, they can take help by eliminating certain unwanted letters. They can also take help by asking for the placement of certain letters in the final word. The difficulty level increases after each level. The game enhances the understanding of words with different images.
5. Guess the Word

Building the connection of understanding words and then naming it correctly is indeed a task for students. At times they know a certain word but not its spelling or vice versa. Guess the word is a game that focuses on developing a basic understanding of words, their meanings, and their context. In this game, a clue is given in the form of a statement.
With that statement, students need to guess the word and select the letters to form it. The letters are jumbled so they need to know the right spelling to get it right. As the level increases, difficulty also increases making it a huge knowledge platform for students. They can also click on the hint icon to get hints about the final word. In this way, it enhances the vocabulary and meanings of words.
Engaging brain teasers for little learners
While vocabulary is enhanced with word games, certain brain teasers help with logical reasoning and creative thinking skills. The below-mentioned brain teasers are a helpful way to blend different components of math, logic, and pattern recognition for little learners. Hence, much like the various pattern recognition quotes suggest, these brain teasers are great for little learners to build their skills.
1. Spaceship Maze

Mazes have been regarded as a great way to empower learning and decode the way to reach the final destination. Spaceship Maze is an interesting game that revolves around the space theme. Students need to figure the way out and make the rocket reach the planet. By tapping in a direction, they move the rocket one step closer. As the level increases, difficulty also increases thereby enhancing concentration and focus in little learners.
2. Jigsaw Puzzle

Puzzles offer a comprehensive learning environment as they are available in different themes, sizes, and challenges. With this game, students can select any theme that appeals to them. Here, the pieces of the puzzle are given on the right and the board is given on the left.
They need to drag each piece and try to complete the Jigsaw puzzle in the minimum possible time. The game is a total brain teaser as it helps them understand patterns and analyze the correct moves with visual understanding.
3. Spot the Difference

Many times, visual communication can help students become better at identifying cues and spotting errors. The game is all about spotting differences between two exactly identical images. The images might have certain errors and the task here is to find those errors.
For example, one image might have a man wearing a red hat while in the other image, the hat might be dark red. Students need to tap on the elements that look wrong or missing in the second image and mark these differences. This game helps with better visual recognition and enhances concentration skills.
4. Math Slither

Brain teasing also involves understanding numbers and calculations. This game called Math Slither is an innovative way to foster an understanding of different mathematical calculations. In this game, students can select which mathematical calculation they want to practice.
For example, if they want to practice addition, they need to move the slithering animal toward different answers. Questions are displayed on the top and the slither is supposed to slide toward the answers. Such a game helps basic understanding with mental math abilities.
5. Tricky Cups

Memory games are popular among little learners and this one is different with its interface. Here, students need to pay attention to the coin that’s placed below one of the cups. The game has 3 cups and a coin is hidden under one of them. As the game starts, the cups keep moving and are jumbled.
The task here is to understand and pay attention to the coin and the movements of the cups. When the movement stops, they need to tap on one cup that has the coin hidden under it. Such a game helps them memorize, focus, and build attention.
Unlocking the potential: How brain teasers stimulate children’s intellectual growth and foster a love of learning
Important research[1] was conducted to identify the effects of brain teasers on the attention spans of preschool children. The experiment was designed for 213 participants who were divided between two different curriculums. One group was given a preschool curriculum while the other was given a curriculum that included brain teasers.
According to the results, it was found that there was a significant difference in the level of attention between these two groups. It was found that brain teasers offered an effective method of learning and boosted the attention span of preschool children.
From the above research, it can be concluded that brain teasers help students develop attention. On the other way round, brain teasers challenge the basic knowledge with basic questions making it obvious for little learners to deeply engage in the topic. It creates a desire to solve the problem because it seems doable however, requires logical thinking. It only helps in intellectual growth but also builds the base for better problem-solving, decision-making, and logical reasoning skills, as these skills are considered crucial in many subjects, including math.
BONUS: Along with other creative and interactive fun brain teasers, we’ve got you a printable puzzle activity book. This book features over 30 activity sheets filled with engaging challenges like fun mazes, word search puzzles, and sudoku puzzles. Each activity is designed to entertain and stimulate kids’ problem-solving skills while keeping them happily occupied. So, hit the download button below and provide a fun and educational way for children to spend their time.
Conclusion
Brain teasers offer a diversified learning experience for students as they are generally found in different formats tapping different skills. Certain brain teasers help students with mathematical calculation thereby developing their mental math abilities while others tap into their creative thinking or vocabulary skills. It should be noted that the inclusion of brain teasers in any academic curriculum should be planned according to the student’s learning capacities.
Also, brain teasers should be presented in a way that encourages students to find answers instead of creating competition between them. In a nutshell, it can be concluded that brain teasers are fun and an offbeat learning way to foster significant qualities.
Reference
- Altun, M., Hazar, M., & Hazar, Z. (2016). Investigation of the Effects of Brain Teasers on Attention Spans of Pre-School Children. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 11(15), 8112–8119. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1118315.pdf

I am Shweta Sharma. I am a final year Masters student of Clinical Psychology and have been working closely in the field of psycho-education and child development. I have served in various organisations and NGOs with the purpose of helping children with disabilities learn and adapt better to both, academic and social challenges. I am keen on writing about learning difficulties, the science behind them and potential strategies to deal with them. My areas of expertise include putting forward the cognitive and behavioural aspects of disabilities for better awareness, as well as efficient intervention. Follow me on LinkedIn