The first Riddle Me This Post went up in May of 2016. In it I shared how I like to use riddles with groups. When presented as a group challenge, riddles can help us learn about asking good questions, listening to, and for, important information and provide an opportunity for a group to solve a problem, or “challenge” together.
I have another set of ponderable problems for you here (and a downloadable PDF of the same so you can have them with you on your smart phone or tablet). Once the answers are discovered to the riddles below, they can be used to open up a conversation based on the topic of the riddle - I provided some suggestions to get you started.
Spoiler Alert: Don't scroll down to the bottom too fast if you want some time to try and figure out the answers - you'll find them below. AND, some of the suggested questions do give away the answer....just FYI!
1. What appears once in every minute, twice in every moment, but not once in a billion years?
How do you spend your free time? What time of day is your favorite? Why? Why does time go faster when you’re having fun and slower when you’re not? If you could go back in time for one day, where would you go and why? What is your opinion about wasting time?
2. What grows down when it grows up?
What are the things you have in your life that come from animals? What are your thoughts about “animal” products? What are substitutes for animal products?
3. What can travel around the world without ever needing any gas?
Where have you traveled to, and why did you go there? Where would you like to travel to someday? Why do you want to go there? What is your favorite way to travel?
4. What gets larger the more you take from it?
What would you say a “hole” is good for? When holes are not good? What does it mean to get yourself into a “hole”? Have you ever gotten yourself into a hole? What’s the story and how does it end? If you could dig holes for a good cause, what would it be?
5. What do you leave behind only after you take them?
What do you want to “leave behind” from your life? What do you think you’ve left behind already? What is something left behind by someone else that you find important in your life? If you could leave behind some advice about life right now, what would it be?
6. What has four legs, a head, and leaves?
Thinking about your daily meals, where do you tend to eat these meals? Do you like to eat alone or with others? What meals do you tend to spend with family? When’s the last time you sat down around the table for a meal with others? What are some of the important details about sharing a meal with others – why might this be a good thing?
7. What can run but can't walk?
Tell us a “water” story in your life? What sorts of water sports are you involved in? How did you get involved in water sports? (Who got you started?) What do we “know” about water? What are some of the ways you can “save” water in your life? How would your life change if you had to walk two miles a day to bring water to your family? (This happens!)
8. What never was, but always will be?
When you think about tomorrow, what do you think about? What’s happening in your life tomorrow that’s important to you? If tomorrow was the same as today, what would you change? If anything was possible, what would you do tomorrow?
9. What is the difference between here and there?
How would you describe the “here” you are in right now? What is here in your life that you appreciate? What is here in your life that you would like to change? What do you believe is out “there” for you? Describe some things that are over “there” – things outside your reach. How can you get closer to those things out of reach? What resources do you need to get “there”?
10. When does Christmas come before Thanksgiving?
What holidays do you celebrate in your life? Which holiday is your favorite? Why? What is your overall opinion about holidays? If you could add a holiday, what would you call it and what part of the year would it be celebrated?
I have another set of ponderable problems for you here (and a downloadable PDF of the same so you can have them with you on your smart phone or tablet). Once the answers are discovered to the riddles below, they can be used to open up a conversation based on the topic of the riddle - I provided some suggestions to get you started.
Spoiler Alert: Don't scroll down to the bottom too fast if you want some time to try and figure out the answers - you'll find them below. AND, some of the suggested questions do give away the answer....just FYI!
1. What appears once in every minute, twice in every moment, but not once in a billion years?
How do you spend your free time? What time of day is your favorite? Why? Why does time go faster when you’re having fun and slower when you’re not? If you could go back in time for one day, where would you go and why? What is your opinion about wasting time?
2. What grows down when it grows up?
What are the things you have in your life that come from animals? What are your thoughts about “animal” products? What are substitutes for animal products?
3. What can travel around the world without ever needing any gas?
Where have you traveled to, and why did you go there? Where would you like to travel to someday? Why do you want to go there? What is your favorite way to travel?
4. What gets larger the more you take from it?
What would you say a “hole” is good for? When holes are not good? What does it mean to get yourself into a “hole”? Have you ever gotten yourself into a hole? What’s the story and how does it end? If you could dig holes for a good cause, what would it be?
5. What do you leave behind only after you take them?
What do you want to “leave behind” from your life? What do you think you’ve left behind already? What is something left behind by someone else that you find important in your life? If you could leave behind some advice about life right now, what would it be?
6. What has four legs, a head, and leaves?
Thinking about your daily meals, where do you tend to eat these meals? Do you like to eat alone or with others? What meals do you tend to spend with family? When’s the last time you sat down around the table for a meal with others? What are some of the important details about sharing a meal with others – why might this be a good thing?
7. What can run but can't walk?
Tell us a “water” story in your life? What sorts of water sports are you involved in? How did you get involved in water sports? (Who got you started?) What do we “know” about water? What are some of the ways you can “save” water in your life? How would your life change if you had to walk two miles a day to bring water to your family? (This happens!)
8. What never was, but always will be?
When you think about tomorrow, what do you think about? What’s happening in your life tomorrow that’s important to you? If tomorrow was the same as today, what would you change? If anything was possible, what would you do tomorrow?
9. What is the difference between here and there?
How would you describe the “here” you are in right now? What is here in your life that you appreciate? What is here in your life that you would like to change? What do you believe is out “there” for you? Describe some things that are over “there” – things outside your reach. How can you get closer to those things out of reach? What resources do you need to get “there”?
10. When does Christmas come before Thanksgiving?
What holidays do you celebrate in your life? Which holiday is your favorite? Why? What is your overall opinion about holidays? If you could add a holiday, what would you call it and what part of the year would it be celebrated?
PDF Download of Riddles and Suggested Topics for Discussions
| riddles_top10more_fdb070617.pdf |
Spoiler - Answers Below...
Answers: 1) The Letter M, 2) A Goose, 3) The Moon, 4) A Hole, 5) Footsteps, 6) A Dining Room Table, 7) Water, 8) Tomorrow, 9) The Letter T, 10) In the Dictionary
Do you have some favorite riddles? Share them in the Comments below. I love to hear from you all!!
All the best,
Chris Cavert, Ed.D.
Answers: 1) The Letter M, 2) A Goose, 3) The Moon, 4) A Hole, 5) Footsteps, 6) A Dining Room Table, 7) Water, 8) Tomorrow, 9) The Letter T, 10) In the Dictionary
Do you have some favorite riddles? Share them in the Comments below. I love to hear from you all!!
All the best,
Chris Cavert, Ed.D.
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