Happy Halloween! At breakfast today my kids and I were giggling over “ridiculous riddles” to mark the occasion. Here are a few I concocted. Give them a go with your own children, if you dare.
If you haven’t seen the previous ridiculous riddles, you might view those posts first or click open the box below for more information on the serious merits of this silly strategy.
Children love riddles. And for parents, riddles can be a fun and versatile way to promote language development.
I began making up my own “ridiculous riddles” a few years ago and I’ve used them in these ways:
- To nurture speaking and listening skills. For me, riddles are especially handy at mealtimes. Plus, after hearing my riddles, Lulu and Roy are often eager to exercise their imagination and make up riddles of their own.
- To increase exposure to reading material. Riddles can be used as captive reading material in the home (see Why You Must Put a Whiteboard in the Bathroom) or as lunchtime notes when away at school. (Just pose the question and let them ponder the answer until you meet.)
- To encourage creativity and writing. In addition to using them orally, riddles are a great way to practice writing. Parent and child invent a few riddles for each other and then swap papers to guess the answers. (The guesses need to be written as well.)
Each “Ridiculous Riddles” post features a few silly riddles that I made up for my kids. Feel free to try them with your own children in the ways I’ve described, and give a go at creating new riddles, too. I think you’ll find that “ridiculous riddles” can be an entertaining and effective addition to your bag of tricks!
Make a guess before clicking the “plus sign” to reveal the answer!
P.S. Get my list of funny tongue twisters for kids!
2 Responses
How much wood didn’t a woodchuck chuck?
Lots of it: after splinters in his tummy put him out of luck.
Ancient AL, how did you know I like woodchucks?