Whether your students have classes in person or online, it’s back to school season! These days, we could all use a little laughter and these back to school riddles and jokes about school are sure to make everyone smile.
Riddles can be challenging for ESL students but they are useful for practicing homophones, onomatopoeia and other forms of word play. If the riddles are still too tricky for your students, try adding a picture to give them a hint. Do you have any funny riddles or jokes that were a hit with learners? Let us know in the comments below!
Riddles for Beginner students
- What is a snake’s favorite subject at school?
Hiss-tory
- What subject is easy for a witch?
Spell-ing
- What room at school has the most stories?
The library
- What animals live at school?
Fish
- What is white when dirty and black when clean?
A blackboard
- How do bees get to school?
By school buzz
- Why did the student eat his homework?
His teacher said it was a piece of cake
Riddles for Intermediate students
- Why was the math book sad on the first day of school?
Because it had so many problems.
- Why did the teacher wear sunglasses in the classroom?
Because her students were so bright!
- I have a back and legs
But I don’t have hair.
You sit on me
Which makes me a _ _ _ _ _
A chair
- Why didn’t the bear go to university?
It only learned the bear necessities.
- What animal cheats on its tests?
A cheetah
- What school does ice cream go to?
Sundae school
- Why was the teacher angry at the student for something he didn’t do?
Because he didn’t do his homework
- What is a cow’s favorite day at school?
When it goes on a field trip
Riddles for Advanced Students
- Despite my name,
I am not a queen.
When you hold me up to things
Their length is seen.
What am I?
A ruler
- When you come to school on Monday, you find out that class has been delayed. Your class will be three days after the day before the day after tomorrow. What day is your class?
Friday
- You will always find me in the past, I can be created in the present but the future will never change me. What am I?
History
- There were three girls walking to school. They had 1 umbrella to share. How did they not get wet?
It wasn’t raining.
- Sometimes you use me at school
I am not a clock
I am something that beats paper
But I am beaten by rock.
What am I?
Scissors
- What is a math teacher’s favorite dessert?
Pi
- What do you need to go to high school?
A ladder
- Where do students in New York City learn multiplication?
In Times Square
Delanie Honda has a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a Master’s degree in International Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. While in Cambodia in 2014, she discovered she had a passion for helping students around the world achieve their academic, professional, and personal goals through language learning. During her Master’s studies, she researched interventions using technology to provide quality education to students around the world. She has been a tutor with ALO7 since April 2017 and lived in Southeast Asia, Ecuador and Colombia.
The digital nomad lifestyle has allowed her to pursue the two things she loves: travel and education. As a Chinese-Japanese American, Delanie is asked, “Where are you from?” a lot, but welcomes the opportunity to share her culture with the people she meets from around the world. Her favorite things to do while traveling are trying new foods, playing Ultimate Frisbee, and exploring on foot.
