These winter riddles are for the days when itβs too cold to go outside, or for warming up after you come back in. There are 30 riddles about winter here, all with answers and hints. The easy round has winter riddles for kids about icicles, mittens, hot chocolate and a snowflake riddle, and the medium round has winter themed riddles about snow days, blizzards, black ice and the shortest day of the year.
The tricky round is made of winter riddles for adults and winter brain teasers: why itβs winter when Earth is closest to the Sun, what happens at the North Pole on the solstice, a word puzzle hidden in the weather and a few math and logic problems, each checked so only one answer works. At the end youβll find ideas for a snow-day riddle game.
Easy Winter Riddles for Kids
Iβm made of ice, I have six arms, and I drift down from the clouds. Catch me on your mitten and look fast, because I wonβt last long. What am I?
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I hang upside down from the edge of the roof. I grow longer on cold nights and drip away on sunny afternoons. What am I?
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I keep your four fingers together in one cozy room, but your thumb gets a room of its own. What am I?
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Iβm warm and brown, I come in a mug, and marshmallows float on top of me after a day in the snow. What am I?
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I have a carrot for a nose and buttons that run down my belly. Iβm happy to stand in the yard all winter, but a warm, sunny day makes me disappear. What am I?
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Iβm a round house built from blocks of packed snow. Even though my walls are made of snow, itβs warmer inside me than out in the wind. What am I?
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You lie down in fresh snow and sweep your arms and legs back and forth. When you stand up, a winged shape is left behind. What is it?
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Overnight I draw feathery patterns on your window and coat the grass in white, and I never use a pen. What am I?
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The more you roll me through the snow, the bigger I grow. Kids love to throw me, but not too hard. What am I?
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On a freezing morning you can see me come out of your mouth like a little cloud, even though nothing is burning. What am I?
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I wrap around your neck, Iβm long and soft, and my ends flap in the wind. What am I?
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Winter Themed Riddles: Snow Days, Storms and Short Days
Iβm the shortest day and the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and I arrive around December 21. What am I?
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Every February 2, people in Pennsylvania wait for me to come out of my burrow. If I see my shadow, folks say there will be six more weeks of winter. Who am I?
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Bats, chipmunks and many other animals do it to get through the cold months. Their hearts slow down, their bodies cool and they sleep for a very long time. What is it called?
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Iβm a big truck with a huge blade on the front. I work through the night after a storm so the roads are clear by morning. What am I?
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Iβm the shortest month of the year, and in the Northern Hemisphere I fall right in the middle of winter. What month am I?
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What do you call a reindeer wearing earmuffs?
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Iβm a thin, clear layer of ice on the road. Drivers canβt see me, so they think the road is just wet, until their tires start to slide. What am I?
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The thermometer says one thing, but I make it feel much colder on your skin. The faster the wind blows, the bigger I get. What am I?
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Iβm a snowstorm with strong winds that blow the snow so hard you can barely see across the street. What am I?
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Overnight, a foot of snow falls. In the morning the phone buzzes, school is canceled, and every kid in town cheers. What is it?
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Tricky Winter Riddles for Adults and Winter Brain Teasers
Earth is closest to the Sun in early January, yet thatβs the middle of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. What really causes winter?
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On December 25, families in New York are bundled up in coats. What season is it for families in Sydney, Australia?
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On the day of the winter solstice, how many hours does the Sun spend above the horizon at the North Pole?
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Why do lakes freeze from the top down instead of from the bottom up?
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At what temperature do the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales show the same number?
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Which is heavier: a pound of snow or a pound of ice?
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Rearrange the letters of a kind of icy winter rain, and you get a strong metal used to build bridges. What is the winter word?
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In a dark mudroom thereβs a basket of loose winter socks: 10 gray and 10 black. How many socks must you grab, without looking, to be sure you have a matching pair?
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- With only two colors, the third sock always matches one of the first two.
Ava made twice as many snowballs as Ben. Ben made 3 more than Cal. Together they made 33 snowballs. How many did Ava make?
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- Cal made 6, Ben made 9 and Ava made 18.
Play Winter Riddles on a Snow Day
- Mitten draw: write each riddle on a slip of paper and drop them into a mitten or a knit hat. Players take turns drawing and reading, and a right answer earns a marshmallow for their hot chocolate.
- Kids against grown-ups: give the kids the easy round and the adults the tricky round. The adults have to solve the brain teasers without paper; the kids get one hint each.
- Window watch: on a real snow day, save the weather riddles (frost, black ice, blizzard) and have kids look outside for clues before they answer.
Looking for more? Try our snowman riddles, these winter clothes riddles or our riddles for adults.