Rebus Puzzles for Kids: A Comprehensive Riddle-Solving Guide

19 Strategies to Solve Rebus Puzzles for Kids

Elementary students can become rebus puzzle masters with these strategies!

Check out our expert tips and tricks to help elementary learners solve brain teasers with confidence. These insights, ranging from decoding visual clues to unraveling hidden messages, will not only enhance puzzle-solving skills but also ensure that the entire experience becomes even more enjoyable for everyone!

1. Hunt for Homonyms

Sometimes the pictures in a rebus puzzle sound like more than one word! These are called homonyms, and they can help you solve the puzzle.

If we continue with the example of ‘I love you’, you can find two homonyms in that small yet meaningful phrase. An image of an eye can be used to represent ‘I’ while an image of an adorable ewe can be used to represent ‘you.’ Knowing homonyms is helpful in solving this type of puzzle.

Even if children are unfamiliar with the term ‘ewe,’ this presents an excellent opportunity for a teachable moment. They can explore the concept of homonyms, and discover synonyms for ‘lamb’ and ‘sheep’ in a thesaurus, ultimately expanding their vocabulary, and potentially leading them to the word ‘ewe.’

Here are a few examples of some homonyms you might find in rebus puzzles:
🐎 horse and hoarse
☀️ sun and son
👂 hear and here
2️⃣ two and too
☮️ peace and piece

🐑 Never heard of a ewe?
A ewe is a female sheep! A male sheep is a ram, a baby sheep is a lamb, and a group of sheep is called a flock.

If you find that interesting, then you will love our Noun Memory Matching Game, a multilayered activity that grows with your child!

This 120-card matching game offers beautiful, clean, crisp imagery with 20 different animals that will take your Language and Biology lessons to the next level.

2. Listen Up!

Rebus puzzles love to play with sounds to lead you to the solution. They may not spell it out for you, but the answer often hides within the sounds they make.

Here’s a great example that demonstrates this:

It might not shout out the answer right away, but if you say all those ‘twos’ (Fun Fact – the plural of two is twos!) out loud, you’ll notice they create a ‘tues’ sound. Add ‘day,’ and what do you get?

Let’s look at another example.

Here you see an image followed by the letter ‘B’ written several times. What sound do all those letters make together? That will help you solve this buzzing riddle!

The trick is to get students to say what they see out loud so that they can use their ears as detectives and pay attention to the sounds the puzzle is giving off.

Answers:
Tuesday
honey bees

3. Numbers as Puzzle Pieces

When you spot numbers in a rebus puzzle, it’s time to put on your detective hat!

You’ll want to count the numbers, look for patterns or sounds they make, note if they are even or odd, and even look closely at their location in the puzzle.

For example, in this puzzle, the location of the number 1 is key to coming up with the answer. Can you solve it? The answer to this one can be found at the end of this section.

Let’s try another example using numbers:

In this example, knowing that these numbers are odd and keeping tip #2 about listening in mind is helpful in solving the riddle.

Whenever you come across numbers in a rebus puzzle, think of them as your little helpers, ready to team up with you to crack the code and unveil the puzzle’s secrets!

Answers:
one after another
odds and ends

4. Picture Perfect Clues

When you have a picture in a rebus puzzle, that’s like having a super hint right in front of your eyes!

These pictures aren’t just there to look pretty; they’re like secret codes that help you solve the puzzle. So, take a good look at them!

Here we have a picture of a pumpkin next to the mathematical symbol 𝛑 (that’s the fancy way to represent ‘Pi’). What happens when you put them together? And why am I so hungry all of a sudden?

Here’s another classic case where a picture speaks volumes, or in this case, offers a stellar hint! This visual features a rainbow with the word ‘somewhere’ hovering above it, leading you to the delightful answer, just like in that magical song!

Answers:
pumpkin pie
somewhere over the rainbow

5. Pictures for Each Word in a Phrase

Sometimes, these puzzles get super creative by using an image to represent every single word in a phrase.

Usually, there is a small gap between each image, making it clear that it’s not just a jumble of pictures or one big word. Put your understanding of homonyms and word sounds to the test to solve this example!

In this clever arrangement, we have the number 2, a bee, an oar, a knot, another number 2, and yet another bee. When you piece it all together, you unlock the answer to this rebus puzzle, which is the iconic Shakespearean quote from Hamlet.

Here’s another example where pictures stand for all the words in a sentence. Can you solve this one? The answer to this riddle is a fact about me!

Be sure to keep an eye open for puzzles made entirely of pictures!

Answers:
To be or not to be.
I love cats.

6. Compound Words

Compound words are often used in rebus puzzles.

These words are formed by joining two or more individual words to create a completely new word, and they can be a valuable clue in deciphering the puzzle’s message.

In rebus puzzles, compound words are usually separated by a plus sign (+), indicating that they should be combined into one compound word.

For example, what do you get when you put these two images together? What word can you make? Check below for the answer!

Check out these rebus puzzles that represent common compound words:
🐕 + 🏠 = doghouse
🚪 + 🔔 = doorbell
💪 + 🪑 = armchair
🌧 + 🧥 = raincoat
🗝 + 😑 = keyboard
👂🏼 + 📞📞📞 = earphones
✉️ + 📦 = mailbox

Mastering the concept of compound words not only helps in unraveling rebus puzzles but also nurtures language skills and enriches your overall linguistic comprehension, making the experience of solving these visual conundrums even more rewarding and enjoyable.

Answer:
pancake

7. Adding and Subtracting Letters from Words

You might see the mathematical symbols for addition (+) and subtraction (-) in a rebus puzzle followed by a letter.

This indicates that the letter provided needs to be added to or taken away from the word represented by the picture and that will give you a whole new word.

For instance, consider the rebus puzzle:

The ‘+’ sign serves as your clue to combine the letter ‘B’ with the image of an eye, resulting in a word often used when you’re saying goodbye to someone or someplace. It could also stand for a word describing how something is done or a term that means making a purchase. Homonyms are pretty awesome, right?

But the fun doesn’t stop there, check out this example:

Rebus puzzles make language learning even more exciting. Plus, they bring a touch of math to the world of words, giving your brain an extra workout.

Answers:
bye/by/buy/bi- (any of these homophones work here!)
flying

😎 Enjoying this blog?
Then you’ll want to get your hands on the printable, kid-friendly version of this blog post. You can purchase it here!

8. The ‘+’ Sign Might Stand for ‘And’

When you see the ‘+’ sign within a rebus, it doesn’t always indicate that addition is required or that you’re dealing with a compound word.

Instead, it’s it can just be a sneaky way of saying ‘and’, as in this example:

When combined, these images create a phrase that signifies a serene and noise-free environment. Peace and quiet! Something we are all looking for after long days of adulting.

But wait, it’s also important to know that the ampersand symbol (&) also represents ‘and’.

Here’s a great example showcasing the use of the ampersand:

What do these two images represent other than the obvious sun and moon? You can check the answer below!

& The Amazing Ampersand &
The story of the ampersand (&) dates back to ancient Rome. In those days, they didn’t have fancy pens or keyboards like we do. Instead, they used special curly letters and wrote quickly. To save time and make things look pretty, they often joined letters together in a special way, kind of like secret codes.

And guess what? The ampersand started as a special combination of the letters ‘E’ and ‘T.’ In Latin, ‘et’ means ‘and.’ So, every time you see an ampersand, you’re looking at a piece of history from ancient Rome, where writing was an art form! You can read more about it in this article.

Answers:
peace and quiet
day and night

9. Mastering Rebus Puzzles for Kids with Prepositions

Prepositions, one of the eight parts of speech, are those clever words or word groups that tell you where something is in relation to something else.

When solving rebus puzzles kids need to keep the more common prepositions (‘in,’ ‘on,’ ‘under’) in mind, and they should be aware of where words are in the riddle. Prepositions are very telling!

Here are some prepositions shown by an adorable cat:

Let’s uncover the power of location in rebus puzzles with four exciting examples. You’ll find the answers below.

Answers:
travel overseas (ok, ok, so overseas is not a preposition, but, the way it is used to bring about the answer is!)
safety in numbers
man on the moon
in between meals

You can see that understanding prepositions play an important part in becoming a rebus puzzle-solving expert!

✏️ Looking for ideas to supplement your parts of speech lessons?
Check out our parts of speech products for elementary language enrichment. Engage your students with interactive tools and resources that make learning grammar fun and accessible.
Explore our collection today to enhance your teaching and foster a deeper understanding of language fundamentals.
➡️ Looking for something specific? Let us know and if we make it you get it for FREE! Email us at thatssomontessori@gmail.com!

10. Math Symbols in Rebus Puzzles

Rebus puzzles often playfully incorporate math symbols as clever clues.

That’s one of the things I love about rebus puzzles! They really stretch your thinking in a variety of directions and even bridge different subjects. In Montessori philosophy, this approach is referred to as “cosmic education.”

Your students will put their math skills to work, as they encounter puzzles that include numbers, symbols, fractions, and even math signs for addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication.

Now that you’ve seen how the Pi symbol can be used in a rebus puzzle (strategy #4), check out these examples demonstrating how different math symbols are used in rebus puzzles for kids.

You have 12″ in the word DOOR (Yay, prepositions!). Twelve inches (12″) is also known as a foot, and that math knowledge of measurement will lead you to the answer. Can you solve this tricky rebus puzzle example?

Want an even trickier rebus puzzle? Try this one out:

It’s always fun to use the infinite symbol!

Answers:
A foot in the door.
To infinity and beyond.

11. Spot the Missing Piece

When it comes to solving rebus puzzles, keen observation must extend to recognizing what’s missing from familiar patterns, like the alphabet or number sequences.

Keep your eye out for these intriguing gaps! Here’s an example to try:

What’s missing in the alphabet? That says it all!

Here’s another tricky rebus puzzle for kids. Can you solve it?

This is a phrase you may use when reuniting with someone you haven’t seen in a while.

Being a sharp observer (and as a result a top-notch rebus puzzle-solving master) means noticing what’s not there in familiar patterns. This makes these challenges an exciting adventure for the curious mind of the child in the second plane of development.

12. Uncover Idioms

Keep an eye out for symbols and images that come together to form everyday sayings and expressions, which are known as idioms.

Idioms are like secret codes in language. They are special phrases that can’t be understood just by looking at each individual word. Instead, they have unique meanings that are familiar to people who speak that language.

This rebus puzzle for kids is a tricky one! It represents an idiom people say when they think something is impossible or can’t happen.

Here are some common idioms in the English language:
🍰 ‘A piece of cake’ means something is very easy to do.
🥒 ‘Cool as a cucumber’ describes someone who keeps cool in stressful or difficult situations.
🐝 ‘Busy as a bee’ suggests someone is working very hard.
🐈 ‘Who let the cat out of the bag?’ is used when someone accidentally reveals a secret or information that was meant to be kept hidden.

🌎 Idioms exist in all languages!
What makes idioms even more interesting is that different languages have their own set of idioms.
Just like how we say, “Game over!,” in English to express a disastrous situation or the dramatic end of something, other languages have their own colourful phrases. For example, in French, they say, “C’est la fin des haricots,” which translates to “the end of the beans” but is an idiom that means something not so good is about to happen.

Answer:
When pigs fly.

13. Word Arrangement

Keep a sharp eye on how words are arranged – whether they’re written backward, diagonally, descending, or even turned upside down. These are valuable clues to cracking the riddle.

You’ll love this example! The words ‘I fell’ are written many times vertically in the shape of a tower. Can you guess this famous landmark?

Now here are some words heard by elementary students every morning! This rebus puzzle is another example that demonstrates how word direction can play an important role in creating an epic puzzle.

Here we have the word ‘wake’ written vertically and read from the bottom up. What is this mystery saying?

Answers:
Eiffel Tower
Wake up!

14. The Secret of Texture in Rebus Puzzles for Kids

Sometimes, rebus puzzles use words written in specific textures to give you hints. These tactile details provide deeper insights into the puzzle’s message.

For instance, when you see the word ‘record’ in a font that looks cracked or in pieces, it cleverly suggests that it is broken, leading you to decipher this rebus puzzle answer, which is also an idiom meaning someone keeps saying the same thing over and over again.

This rebus puzzle is as vibrant as a lime! That’s your hint for unraveling this colourful and clever riddle.

Paying attention to textures can help you solve rebus puzzles with ease.

Answers:
broken record
limelight

15. Broaden Your Vocabulary with Synonyms

In rebus puzzles, it’s essential to be open to alternative words for common images. Essentially, you’re considering synonyms when looking for answers.

For instance, here’s a picture of a cat and a smiley emoji face. Can you guess what phrase these images make?

When you see an image of a cat, consider that it could represent the words kitty, kitten, feline, tabby, or even mouser, providing various options for words and sounds.

In this case, what do you suppose the cat represents? Can you solve this picture puzzle?

Now that you know that a female sheep is a ewe, give this example a try!

Encourage students to explore synonyms and stretch their vocabulary with rebus puzzles!

Answer:
Feeling (feline) happy.
down to earth

16. Words on Repeat

Don’t overlook the importance of repetition in rebus puzzles.

When a word or image appears multiple times, it’s a significant clue that can lead you to the solution. Count how many times the word is written and keep that in mind as you work to solve the riddle.

Take, for example, the rebus that showcases the word ‘thanks’ written many times – what message does it convey? You can check the answer at the end of this section.

How about this example? Can you figure this one out?

Remember, paying attention to repetition is an important key to becoming a rebus expert!

Answers:
Thanks a lot.
seven days a week

17. Highlighted Clues in Rebus Puzzles for Kids

In a rebus puzzle, sometimes clues are highlighted to take hold of your attention.

This could be indicated by an arrow, bold text, a circle, or underlining. These hints guide you to key information you need to solve the puzzle.

In this example, an arrow points to the ‘T’ in “The,” highlighting the beginning of the phrase. This clue will lead you to the answer.

Give this next example a try. Notice that the word ‘speed’ is written four times and the first one, the one at the top, is circled.

These examples demonstrate how paying attention to specific details within a rebus can lead to puzzles solving success.

Answers:
The beginning of the end.
top speed

18. Size and Style Matter

The size of words or symbols in a riddle can hold the key to unlocking their meaning, and so can the style they are written.

Whether they’re large, small, skinny, wide, tall, or thick, size variations add an intriguing dimension to the puzzle-solving adventure.

For instance, take a look at this rebus puzzle where the word “DEAL” stands out in a big way. Can you solve this riddle?

And remember, this works the other way around, too! Here’s an example of something quite tiny.

In these word riddles, the size and style of words act as helpful clues that guide you to the answers. So, pay attention to how words look!

Answers:
a big deal
small talk

19. Hues Can Be Clues

Rebus puzzles often come alive with the use of colour.

When you spot words or symbols in hues other than standard black ink, it’s a clue that colour plays a role in the answer.

Here’s a simple example to illustrate the point. When you see the word ‘thumb’ written in green, you have more than enough information to solve the riddle.

Here’s another example that plays with colour.