The article is devoted to the problem of intellectual development of children of preschool age in the process of studying folk riddles. The author reveals the concept of "riddle", highlights the principles of the selection of riddles and groups of riddles that are used in pre-school. The work details the methods of work: a) with riddles – descriptions, b) with riddles containing the key distinguishing feature of the object, c) with riddles in which the description of the object is given through negation; it proved that the effectiveness of this technique has a positive effect on children's intellectual development.