Ice cubes look simple, but they hide a lot of science. Ice floats, cloudy cubes are full of trapped air and sometimes hot water freezes faster than cold. These riddles cover all of that, along with plenty of frozen fun for kids.
Every riddle has its own answer, from ice cube trays and igloos to the Boston businessman who once shipped ice around the world.
Easy Ice Riddles for Kids
- I am frozen water shaped like a little box, and I clink in your glass. What am I? 👉 An ice cube
- I am the cold box in the kitchen where water turns into ice. What am I? 👉 A freezer
- I am a plastic tray with little squares that you fill with water. What am I? 👉 An ice cube tray
- I am what an ice cube turns into when it gets warm. What am I? 👉 Water
- I have two arms with claws, and I pick up ice cubes so your fingers stay dry. What am I? 👉 Ice tongs
- I fall from the sky in cold, white flakes. What am I? 👉 Snow
- I am a giant mountain of ice floating in the sea. What am I? 👉 An iceberg
- I am a dome-shaped house built from blocks of snow. What am I? 👉 An igloo
- I am frozen fruit juice on a stick. What am I? 👉 An ice pop
- I am shaved ice in a paper cone, topped with colorful syrup. What am I? 👉 A snow cone
- I am a frozen surface where people glide around on blades. What am I? 👉 An ice rink
- I am a box you fill with ice to keep drinks cold at a picnic. What am I? 👉 A cooler
Ice Science Riddles
These riddles are based on real science. The note after each answer explains it.
- I am the temperature at which water freezes. What am I? 👉 0°C (32°F)
- Ice floats because it is less dense than water. About how much less dense is it? 👉 About 9 percent
- About this much of an iceberg is hidden under the water. How much? 👉 About 90 percent
- Ice cubes look cloudy in the middle because tiny bubbles of this get trapped inside. What is it? 👉 Air
- If water freezes slowly from one direction, the bubbles escape and you get this. What is it? 👉 Clear ice
- I am what happens when ice turns straight into gas without melting first. What am I? 👉 Sublimation
- I am frozen carbon dioxide, and at about minus 78°C I am much colder than normal ice. What am I? 👉 Dry ice
- Before fridges existed, people cut ice from these in winter and stored it in sawdust. What were they? 👉 Frozen lakes
- In the 1800s I was called the “Ice King” because I shipped ice from Boston to places as far away as India. Who am I? 👉 Frederic Tudor
- Sometimes hot water freezes faster than cold water. This puzzle is named after a student from Tanzania. What is it called? 👉 The Mpemba effect
Funny Ice Riddles
- What did one ice cube say to the other? 👉 “Ice to meet you”
- Why did the ice cube get top marks at school? 👉 It was super cool
Ice Cube Brain Teasers
- One tray makes 12 ice cubes. How many trays do you need to make 30 cubes? 👉 3
- One ice cube takes 20 minutes to melt on a plate. How long do three ice cubes take if they melt side by side? 👉 About 20 minutes
- You drop an ice cube into a glass filled to the brim with water. When it melts, does the glass overflow? 👉 No (floating ice already pushes aside exactly the water it will become)
- One liter of water turns into about 1.09 liters of ice. About how much ice do you get from 10 liters of water? 👉 About 10.9 liters
- I get smaller every time you warm me up, and I disappear completely in your drink. What am I? 👉 A melting ice cube
Want more riddles? Browse our blog for more collections, and if you spot a mistake in any answer, let us know on our Contact page.