40 Christmas Riddles for Kids with Answers (Printable)

Ho, ho, ho! Can you guess the answer? These 40 Christmas riddles for kids with answers are perfect for holiday parties, classroom countdowns, long car rides and the Christmas dinner table. We’ve sorted them into easy riddles for little ones, medium riddles with fun wordplay, tricky brain-teasers for older kids, and a special set of nativity riddles about the first Christmas.

Ages 4–12 · 40 riddles in 4 groups · Includes a printable riddle sheet and answer key.

Cover the answers with your hand (or a cookie!) and see how many you can solve.

Printable tip: Want a paper copy? Use your browser’s Print option (Ctrl+P on a computer, or Share → Print on a phone) to print this page for home, class or a holiday party.

Easy Christmas Riddles for Kids (Ages 4–6)

Read these slowly and give little ones time to picture the answer.

1. I’m big and jolly, with a red suit and a long white beard. I say “Ho, ho, ho!” Who am I? Answer: Santa Claus.
2. I’m made of snow, with a carrot nose and coal for eyes. What am I? Answer: A snowman.
3. I’m green and covered in lights and ornaments. Presents sit under me. What am I? Answer: A Christmas tree.
4. I have antlers and a shiny red nose, and I lead Santa’s sleigh. Who am I? Answer: Rudolph the reindeer.
5. I’m wrapped in paper with a bow on top. You open me on Christmas morning. What am I? Answer: A present.
6. I hang by the fireplace and Santa fills me with treats. What am I? Answer: A stocking.
7. I’m white and cold, and I fall from the sky in winter. What am I? Answer: Snow.
8. I’m a cookie shaped like a little man, and I’m always running away. Who am I? Answer: The Gingerbread Man.
9. I’m red and white, striped and shaped like a hook. You can hang me on the tree. What am I? Answer: A candy cane.
10. I shine at the very top of the Christmas tree. What am I? Answer: A star (or an angel).

Medium Christmas Riddles (Ages 6–9)

These use a little wordplay or need a bit more thinking.

11. What do you call a snowman in July? Answer: A puddle!
12. What has a bottom at the top? Answer: Your legs! (Your bottom is at the top of your legs.)
13. What goes up the chimney down, but can’t come down the chimney up? Answer: An umbrella.
14. What falls at the North Pole but never gets hurt? Answer: Snow.
15. What do elves learn in school? Answer: The elf-abet!
16. What has four legs but can’t walk, and Santa leaves cookies on it? Answer: A table.
17. I have many needles, but I never sew. What am I? Answer: A pine tree.
18. What kind of ball doesn’t bounce? Answer: A snowball (or a Christmas tree bauble).
19. What do you get if you cross a snowman with a vampire? Answer: Frostbite!
20. What’s red and white and goes up and down? Answer: Santa in an elevator!
21. Which of Santa’s reindeer has the worst manners? Answer: Rude-olph!
22. What can you hold without ever touching it? Answer: A conversation (or your breath on a cold day).

Tricky Christmas Brain-Teasers (Ages 9–12)

These riddles need careful thinking. Give hints if needed!

23. What month has 28 days? Answer: All of them! (Every month, including December, has at least 28 days.)
24. Santa has 9 reindeer. All but 4 fly away. How many are left? Answer: 4 reindeer.
25. What gets bigger the more you take away? Answer: A hole (like one dug in the snow).
26. What has hands but can’t clap, and tells you when it’s time for Christmas? Answer: A clock.
27. If an electric train is traveling south, which way is the smoke blowing? Answer: There’s no smoke. It’s electric!
28. Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are exactly how many days apart? Answer: 7 days.
29. I can fill a room but take up no space. On Christmas Eve, I twinkle on the tree. What am I? Answer: Light.
30. I have a head and a tail but no body. You might find me in your Christmas stocking. What am I? Answer: A coin.
31. What is always coming but never arrives? Answer: Tomorrow (like Christmas Day when you’re waiting for it!).
32. The more of me there is, the less you see. What am I? Answer: Darkness, like a long winter night.

Nativity Riddles: The First Christmas (Ages 5–10)

These riddles are about the Christmas story in the Bible, perfect for Sunday school or family devotions.

33. I was born in a stable in Bethlehem and laid in a manger. Who am I? Answer: Baby Jesus.
34. I told Mary she would have a very special baby. Who am I? Answer: The angel Gabriel.
35. I’m a wooden box that animals eat from, but Baby Jesus slept in me. What am I? Answer: A manger.
36. We were watching our sheep at night when angels appeared in the sky. Who are we? Answer: The shepherds.
37. I shone brightly in the sky and led the wise men to Jesus. What am I? Answer: The star of Bethlehem.
38. We brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. Who are we? Answer: The wise men (the Magi).
39. I’m the little town where Jesus was born. What am I? Answer: Bethlehem.
40. I was Mary’s husband and I took care of baby Jesus. Who am I? Answer: Joseph.

How to Use These Christmas Riddles

• Advent countdown: Write one riddle on a slip of paper for each day of December and pop it into your Advent calendar.
• Christmas cracker riddles: Make homemade Christmas crackers and tuck a riddle card inside each one.
• Classroom party game: Split the class into teams and read the riddles aloud. The team with the most correct answers wins.
• Dinner table fun: Place a riddle card under each plate at Christmas dinner.
• Road-trip game: Keep kids entertained on the way to visit family.
• Write your own: Challenge kids to write a riddle about their favorite Christmas thing using three clues.

Christmas Riddle Games for the Whole Family

Riddle Treasure Hunt

Hide small treats or wrapped chocolates around the house. Each riddle answer is a clue to where the next treat is hidden: “I have four legs but can’t walk” leads to the table, “I’m green and covered in lights” leads to the tree.

Pass the Present Riddles

Wrap a small prize in many layers of paper, with a riddle card between each layer. Pass the present while music plays. When the music stops, the person holding it unwraps one layer and must solve the riddle before the game continues.

Riddle Relay

Split into two teams. Read a riddle aloud. The first team to ring a bell (or shout “Jingle!”) and give the right answer wins a point. The first team to reach ten points wins the honor of choosing the Christmas movie.

Why Riddles Are Great for Kids

Riddles build thinking skills. Children have to listen carefully, picture the clues and try different ideas until one fits. Wordplay riddles like “What do elves learn in school?” help kids notice how words sound, which supports reading and spelling. And when they finally solve one, it gives them a real confidence boost.

More Christmas Fun

• Read The Christmas Mouse and other Christmas poems for kids.
• Learn Christmas Bible verses for kids.
• Enjoy the classic tale of The Gingerbread Man.
• Love riddles? Try our Halloween riddles for kids and Easter jokes and riddles.

FAQ: Christmas Riddles for Kids

What is a good Christmas riddle for kids?

“What do you call a snowman in July? A puddle!” is a favorite. It’s short, funny and easy for young children to understand.

Are these Christmas riddles suitable for school?

Yes. All 40 riddles are clean and family-friendly, so they work well in classrooms, Sunday school and at family gatherings.

Is the Christmas riddles printable free?

Yes. The riddle cards and answer key are free for personal, home and classroom use.