😀 Emoji Riddles
The host shows a short string of emoji that stands for a movie, song, phrase or place, and players race to crack it. Lion plus crown? The Lion King. Kids pick it up instantly and love inventing their own.
What you need
Equipment: A phone or screen, or printed cards. Prepare 12 to 15 emoji riddles on a phone or on cards. Each one is two to four emoji standing for a song, movie, phrase or place.
How to play Emoji Riddles
- The host announces the category: song, movie, phrase or place.
- Show the emoji string on a screen or card, or read it aloud: "Lion, crown."
- Players have 30 seconds to think.
- Whoever knows shouts "Capy!" and gets the first guess.
- Right guess: points. Wrong guess: that player is out for this riddle.
- If nobody gets it, the host adds one extra emoji as a hint.
- Move on to the next riddle.
Scoring and wrapping up
Scoring: Correct without a hint: 2 points. With a hint: 1 point. In the last round, a player-made riddle the group solves: 1 point to its creator.
To finish: After 10 to 12 riddles, crown the Emoji Champion. Finish with a round where every player invents a riddle for the group.
By age
- Ages 7-8: Stick to movies and animals they know, with two emoji each.
- Ages 10+: Add phrases and idioms, like "It's raining cats and dogs."
Variations
- Big group: Play in teams with a whiteboard each. All teams reveal answers at once.
- Capy twist: Players get the answer and must draw the emoji string for their team to guess.
Tips for the adult in charge
- Start easy and build up. Kids should get the first two in seconds.
- Let kids make their own riddles. It is often their favorite part.
🖨️ Printable emoji riddle cards
Show the emoji, then check the answer after the line.
- 🦁👑 | The Lion King
- ⛄❄️👸 | Frozen
- 🐠🔍 | Finding Nemo
- 🕷️👨 | Spider-Man
- 🧸📖 | Toy Story
- 🎈🏠 | Up
- 🐼🥋 | Kung Fu Panda
- 🧜♀️🌊 | The Little Mermaid
- 👸🐸 | The Princess and the Frog
- 🍎👸💤 | Snow White
- 🦖🏞️ | Jurassic Park
- 🧞♂️🪔 | Aladdin
- 🌧️🐱🐶 | Raining cats and dogs
- 🍰🚶 | A piece of cake
- 🐦🐦🪨 | Two birds, one stone
- ❄️🧊💔 | Break the ice
- 🗽🍎 | New York (the Big Apple)
- 🗼🥐 | Paris
- 🐨🦘 | Australia
- ⭐✨🎵 | Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
- 🚌🛞 | The Wheels on the Bus
- 🕷️💧 | Itsy Bitsy Spider
Questions and answers
What are some easy emoji riddles for kids?
🦁👑 is The Lion King, ⛄❄️👸 is Frozen, 🐠🔍 is Finding Nemo, and 🕷️👨 is Spider-Man.
Do I need a screen?
No. You can print the cards, draw the emoji on a board, or simply read the emoji names aloud.