A rainbow appears when sunlight shines through raindrops and splits into colors. It looks simple, but there is a lot of science behind it, from refraction to double rainbows and moonbows. These riddles turn that science into puzzles kids can solve.
Each riddle has a different answer, covering rainbow colors, prisms, Isaac Newton, rainbow-colored animals and a few color-mixing brain teasers.
Easy Rainbow Riddles for Kids
- I am a colorful arch that appears in the sky after the rain. What am I? 👉 A rainbow
- To make a rainbow you need sunshine and lots of me falling from the sky. What am I? 👉 Raindrops
- I am the color on the very top of a rainbow. What am I? 👉 Red
- I am the fourth color of the rainbow, right in the middle. What am I? 👉 Green
- I am the last color on the inside edge of a rainbow. What am I? 👉 Violet
- I am a triangle of glass that splits white light into rainbow colors. What am I? 👉 A prism
- Irish legend says a leprechaun hides me at the end of the rainbow. What am I? 👉 A pot of gold
- I am a made-up name that helps kids remember the rainbow’s colors in order. Who am I? 👉 Roy G. Biv
- I am the fine spray from a garden hose that can make a little rainbow on a sunny day. What am I? 👉 Mist
- I am a shiny disc, and when light hits me I throw rainbows on the wall. What am I? 👉 A CD
- I float through the air, I am made of soap and swirly rainbow colors cover my skin. What am I? 👉 A soap bubble
- You are most likely to see a rainbow at these times, when the sun is low in the sky. When? 👉 Morning or late afternoon
Rainbow Science Riddles
These riddles are based on real light science. The note after each answer explains it.
- To see a rainbow, the sun has to be in this place compared to you. Where? 👉 Behind you
- I am a second, fainter rainbow above the first one, and my colors are in reverse order. What am I? 👉 A double rainbow
- I used a prism to show that white light is really a mix of colors. Who am I? 👉 Isaac Newton
- A rainbow is really this shape, but the ground usually hides part of it. What shape? 👉 A full circle (pilots sometimes see the whole circle from the air)
- I am a rainbow made by moonlight instead of sunlight. What am I? 👉 A moonbow
- I am a pale, almost white rainbow that forms in fog. What am I? 👉 A fogbow
- I am the bending of light as it passes into a raindrop. What am I? 👉 Refraction
- I am the U.S. state nicknamed the Rainbow State, and a rainbow appears on my license plates. What am I? 👉 Hawaii
- Isaac Newton decided the rainbow had this many colors. How many? 👉 Seven
Rainbow-Colored Animal Riddles
- I am a fish named after the rainbow because of the pink stripe along my side. What am I? 👉 A rainbow trout
- I am a rainforest bird with a huge, brightly colored beak. What am I? 👉 A toucan
- I am a lizard that can change the color of my skin. What am I? 👉 A chameleon
Rainbow Color Brain Teasers
- A rainbow has 7 colors. How many colors are there in 4 rainbows? 👉 28
- Mix red and yellow paint together. Which rainbow color do you get? 👉 Orange
- Mix red and blue paint together. What color do you get? 👉 Purple
- I am the rainbow color between blue and violet that many people forget. What am I? 👉 Indigo
- A rainbow appears at 5 p.m. and fades 15 minutes later. What time does it fade? 👉 5:15 p.m.
- A double rainbow shines over a calm lake that reflects the whole sky. How many rainbows can you see? 👉 Four
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.