In my house, there's nothing better than a good prank to earn you some serious street cred. Our family values the art of a clever, well executed practical joke. Even though we are regularly trying to out-do one another with our silliness, the pranks are all in good fun and family-friendly to boot. So if you're looking for some funny April Fool's Day pranks to play on kids, I've got you covered.
The key to any good joke, is the element of surprise. When planning your prank, make sure to think of something that will catch the kids off guard without scaring them. I know that can be a fine line to walk, so if your kids are extra sensitive, you may want to steer clear of big shockers, like freezing plastic insects in ice cubes. But if you're kids are veterans to the prank game, like mine, you have a little more wiggle room to pull a good one over on them this April 1.
Although a good grown-up trick can be classic, tailoring your pranks to kids can be just as fun. Use these 12 ideas to fool your kids this April Fool's Day and the whole family will laugh along.
1
Potty Surprise
Add it fun little prank to the morning routine by adding some food coloring to the toilet water. Drip a few drops of blue, red, or green into the toilet before you go to sleep and shut the lid. When your kiddo opens it up in the morning, they'll have a colorful surprise waiting inside.
2
Jello Juice
Instead of juice, fill drinking cups with Jello and let sit overnight to firm up, as Parenting magazine suggested. In the morning, hand your child some "juice" and tell them to "drink up." Make sure to have a camera ready to snap the confused look on their face.
3
"Broken" Remote
My kids love to watch their shows and are already fighting over who has control of the remote. Before they wake up on April 1 and grab for the remote, I plan to take out the batteries and play dumb on why the TV won't turn on. This should be interesting.
4
Fake Cake
Swap out this sweet for savory with a look-a-like that's sure to fool your littles. To make a fake cake, Parents suggested you switch the cake for meatloaf and the frosting for smooth mashed potatoes, then decorate as you would a regular cake and present as a dessert. You're kids may not like you for a few minutes, but it will be worth it for an epic April Fool's prank.
5
Change Your Look
I know it's wrong, but there's nothing I love more than threatening to embarrass my kids. Sometimes I toss on a wig as we're walking out the door for school or slip into an old Halloween costume before their friends come over to play. The look on their face is awesome. Even though I have no plan to follow through, they think I'm serious for a minute before we all bust into hysterics over the thought of it.
Mix up your morning and put on a costume, outlandish get-up, or add some silly props to your look and convince your kids this is how you will dress today.
6
Lunch Box Eyeballs
Your kids may think you forgot about April Fool's, until they open their lunch box. As the website for The Today Show suggested, glue googley eyes to juice boxes, food containers, and snack bags to create a small pack of delicious onlookers.
7
Oreo Gone Wrong
I have to give credit to my 8 year old for this one, since he told me he plans to pull this prank on his brother. Using a delicate hand, twist open an Oreo cookie and replace the creamy filling with toothpaste, then reassemble the cookie. Offer this extra-minty treat to your kids and see if they notice what's different.
(And the fact that there is an exact GIF of this prank tells me my kiddo did not come up with this idea on his own.)
8
Bug Invasion Fake Out
Go all out for this one and buy a big bag of realistic looking plastic insects. You can place the bugs in shoes, like Babble recommended, as well as freeze them in ice cubes, hide them in backpacks, and places them all around the house.
9
Trick Candy
Want to make your kids question your sanity? Bite into a rock. Well, a candy rock (duh). You can even pretend you found them in your back yard, like Parenting suggested, and tell them these are the most delicious rocks you've every tastes.
10
Time Warp
Keep the right time on your phone, but change all the clocks in the house — even on phones and tablets — to all reflect different time zones. The kids won't know what's right and what's wrong, they be caught in an April Fools' Day time warp.
11
Frozen Cereal
This classic kid-friendly prank is sure to be a hit in your house. As Babble explained, make a bowl of cereal and freeze it over night. When it's time for breakfast, sneak the bowl out of the freezer and offer your child his favorite cereal.
12
Faux Present
Wrap an empty box and leave it on the front porch with a note than says, "Love, The Mystery Person." After they have pondered this off gift for a while, you can confess to being the Mystery Person.
