Brain Teaser worksheet for primary students, designed to challenge thinking skills with fun riddles.

Here are the answers to the brain teasers on your worksheet. I have worked through each riddle to find the correct solution.

1. What can be seen once in a minute, twice in a moment, and never in a thousand years?
* Reasoning: Look at the spelling of the words.
* "Minute" has one letter 'M'.
* "Moment" has two letters 'M'.
* "Thousand years" does not have the letter 'M'.
* Answer: The letter M

2. I'm not alive, but I have 5 fingers. What am I?
* Reasoning: Think of an object you wear on your hand that has spots for all five digits (thumb, index, middle, ring, pinky).
* Answer: A glove

3. What flies when it's born, lies when it's alive, and runs when it's dead?
* Reasoning: This describes the life cycle of a specific insect. It starts as a flying insect, settles down (lies) to make a cocoon or rest, and when it is processed or "dead," its legs might move if touched by heat, or metaphorically it "runs" away? Actually, the classic riddle answer is usually about a fly (insect). Let's re-read carefully.
* *Correction:* The classic riddle is: "What flies when it has no wings, cries when it has no eyes?" No, that's different.
* Let's look at this specific phrasing: "Flies when born" (a fly/insect), "Lies when alive" (maybe a lie? No).
* Let's try a different angle. Is it a Fly? A housefly flies. When it is alive, it lands (lies?) on things. When it is dead... it doesn't run.
* Let's try A River? No.
* Let's try A Leaf? No.
* Let's look at the standard riddle database. Ah, there is a variation: "What flies without wings?" -> Time. But time doesn't lie or run.
* Let's look at A Fly again. Maybe the riddle implies: It flies (insect). It lies (tells untruths? No).
* Wait, let's look at A Sheet of Paper? No.
* Let's reconsider the wording. "Flies when it's born" -> An insect hatches and flies. "Lies when it's alive" -> It rests/lies down? "Runs when it's dead" -> This part is tricky.
* Actually, there is a very common riddle: "What runs but never walks, has a mouth but never talks..." That's a river.
* Let's look at this specific one: "What flies when it's born, lies when it's alive, and runs when it's dead?"
* Could it be A Candle? No.
* Could it be A Shadow? No.
* Let's try A Fly again. In some contexts, people say a dead fly "runs" with water? No.
* Let's look for a homophone.
* How about A Lie? No.
* Let's go with the most likely intended answer for primary school logic: A Fly. (It flies. It "lies" around? And when you swat it, maybe it "runs" off the swatter? It's a bit of a stretch, but common in these sheets).
* *Alternative:* A River? Born (springs/flows), Alive (lies in bed?), Dead (runs dry?). No.
* *Alternative:* Snow? Flies (falls), Lies (on ground), Runs (melts into water). Yes! Snow falls from the sky (flies), it sits on the ground (lies), and when it melts/dies, it turns to water which runs.
* Answer: Snow

4. What gets wetter the more it dries?
* Reasoning: Think of something used to remove water from other things. As it absorbs water from your body or dishes, the object itself becomes wet.
* Answer: A towel

5. What goes up but never comes back down?
* Reasoning: Think about things that increase over time and cannot be reversed. You can grow taller, but you can't shrink back to a baby size.
* Answer: Your age

6. What has a face and two hands, but no arms or legs?
* Reasoning: It tells time. The "face" is the dial, and the "hands" point to the numbers.
* Answer: A clock

7. What has to be broken before you can use it?
* Reasoning: Think of food items that come in a shell. You must crack the shell to get to the inside.
* Answer: An egg

8. I'm full of keys but I can't open any door. What am I?
* Reasoning: Think of a musical instrument or a tool for typing. They have many "keys" on them, but they are not for locks.
* Answer: A piano (or a keyboard)

9. How many months have 28 days?
* Reasoning: This is a trick question. Most people think only February has 28 days. However, every single month has *at least* 28 days. January has 31 (which includes 28 days), February has 28 (or 29), March has 31, etc.
* Answer: 12 (All of them)

10. What can you catch but not throw?
* Reasoning: Think of illnesses or conditions. You can "catch" a cold, but you cannot physically pick it up and throw it to someone else.
* Answer: A cold

11. What is full of holes but can still hold water?
* Reasoning: Think of a material used for cleaning that is porous (has tiny holes) but absorbs liquid instead of letting it leak out immediately.
* Answer: A sponge

12. I don't have eyes, but once I did see. Once I had thoughts, but now I'm white and empty. What am I?
* Reasoning: This refers to the remains of something that used to be alive and intelligent. "White and empty" suggests a skull. Eyes and brains are gone, leaving just the bone.
* Answer: A skull

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Final Answer:
1. The letter M
2. A glove
3. Snow
4. A towel
5. Your age
6. A clock
7. An egg
8. A piano (or keyboard)
9. 12
10. A cold
11. A sponge
12. A skull