Five- and six-year-olds are excellent joke audiences. They love silly sounds, animals doing ridiculous things, words that mean two things at once and, of course, any joke they can immediately repeat to somebody else.
The best jokes for this age are usually short, easy to remember and built around words children already know. Here are 50 kid-friendly jokes, knock-knock jokes and easy riddles that are simple enough for young joke tellers to make their own.
Funny food jokes
1. What cheese does not belong to you?
Nacho cheese!
2. Why did the cookie go to the doctor?
Because it felt crummy!
3. Why did the bread take a break?
Because it kneaded one!
4. What did the strawberry say when it got stuck in traffic?
“I’m in a jam!”
5. Why did the orange go to the doctor?
It wasn’t peeling well!
6. What did the grape do when someone stepped on it?
It let out a little whine!
7. Why are bananas good at gymnastics?
They know how to do the splits!
8. Why did the tomato turn red?
Because it saw the salad dressing!
9. Why did everyone invite the mushroom to the party?
Because he was a fungi!
10. What do you call a noodle pretending to be someone else?
An impasta!
Funny animal jokes
11. Why are fish so smart?
Because they spend all day in schools!
12. What do you call a sleeping bull?
A bulldozer!
13. What do you call a bear with no teeth?
A gummy bear!
14. Why do bees have sticky hair?
Because they use honeycombs!
15. Why did the chicken cross the playground?
To get to the other slide!
16. What do you call a pig that knows karate?
A pork chop!
17. Why is a leopard bad at hide-and-seek?
Because it is always spotted!
18. What do you call a cow that makes music?
A moo-sician!
19. What do you call a magical dog?
A Labracadabrador!
20. What do you call a sleeping dinosaur?
A dino-snore!
School jokes for kids
21. Why was the math book unhappy?
Because it had too many problems!
22. Why did the music teacher bring a ladder?
To reach the high notes!
23. Why did the teacher wear sunglasses?
Because the students were so bright!
24. Why did the student eat the homework?
Because the teacher said it was a piece of cake!
25. Why did the clock get in trouble at school?
It kept tocking during class!
26. What did the zero say to the eight?
“Nice belt!”
27. What is a snake’s favorite school subject?
Hiss-tory!
28. What did one pencil say to the other pencil?
“You’re looking sharp!”
29. Why did the book visit the school nurse?
It had a broken spine!
30. Why did the student bring a ladder to school?
Because they wanted to go to high school!
Easy knock-knock jokes
These are especially fun for kids who are just learning how jokes work. One person can help with the “Who’s there?” lines until the young joke teller has the pattern memorized.
31.
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Boo.
Boo who?
Don’t cry—it’s only a joke!
32.
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Cow says.
Cow says who?
No, a cow says MOO!
33.
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Lettuce.
Lettuce who?
Lettuce in—it’s cold out here!
34.
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Tank.
Tank who?
You’re welcome!
35.
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Ice cream.
Ice cream who?
Ice cream so loud you can hear me through the door!
36.
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Hatch.
Hatch who?
Bless you!
37.
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Alpaca.
Alpaca who?
Alpaca lunch if you pack the drinks!
38.
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn’t say banana?
39.
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Who.
Who who?
Are you an owl?
40.
Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Peas.
Peas who?
Peas let me in!
Easy riddles for 5- and 6-year-olds
Give kids a moment to guess these before revealing the answer. Getting the answer spectacularly wrong is often half the fun.
41. What has hands but cannot clap?
A clock.
42. What has four legs but cannot walk?
A table.
43. What gets wetter while it dries?
A towel.
44. What has lots of teeth but cannot bite?
A comb.
45. What has a neck but no head?
A bottle.
46. What can you catch but cannot throw?
A cold.
47. What goes up when the rain comes down?
An umbrella.
48. What has lots of keys but cannot open a door?
A piano.
49. What has four fingers and a thumb but is not alive?
A glove.
50. What has a head and a tail but no body?
A coin.
Helping young kids tell jokes
At five or six, telling the joke can be just as much fun as hearing it. Let your child pick one or two favorites rather than trying to remember a giant list all at once.
The pause before the punchline is part of the joke. Ask the question, give the listener a chance to guess and then deliver the answer. Knock-knock jokes are especially useful because the back-and-forth gives a young joke teller an easy pattern to follow.
Some wordplay may need to be said aloud before it clicks. “Nacho cheese,” “kneaded a break” and “hiss-tory,” for example, make much more sense when you can hear the two meanings.
And if your five-year-old changes half the joke, replaces the cow with a dinosaur and insists their version is funnier? That is part of the fun too.
Start with a favorite, practice the punchline and prepare to hear the same joke many, many times.