April Fools’ Day Pranks to Play on Your Kids

Get ready to fool your kids with these harmless pranks.

Introduce your kids to one of the funniest national holidays of the year. This April Fools’ Day, play a few funny tricks on your kiddos and start a tradition of who can do the best pranks in the family. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Bed switch

When your kids are sound asleep, switch them into each other’s bed. Waking up in their sibling’s room is a hysterical way to start April Fools’ Day.

Clothing swap

While your children are asleep, move their clothing into different dresser drawers. So the socks are now in the pajamas drawer and the t-shirts are where the undies should be!

Turned upside down

Once the house is asleep on April Fool’s eve, turn as many things upside down in the house that you can. From framed pictures, hanging wall art, clocks, chairs, toy baskets and backpacks.

Potty surprise

Put a helium-filled balloon the the toilet and close the lid. When your kid goes to lift the seat in the morning, the balloon with float right up. For fun, write “April Fools!” with Sharpie on the balloon.

Eyes see you

Break out those fun googly eyes and glue them to items in your refrigerator to create eyes staring back when someone opens the fridge for orange juice. You could also do this in your child’s lunchbox.

Freeze me

If your kids are cereal eaters each morning, freeze your kids’ bowl of cereal and milk overnight in the freezer. Watch their surprise when the spoon hits solid cereal.

Funny milk

Put a few drops of food coloring into your gallon of milk. Then casually pour the milk into their glass or cereal right in front of your kiddos.

Undrinkable juice

Swap out juice for gelatin and pour the gelatin into your child’s normal juice glass and put a straw in it, then put into refrigerator overnight to firm. Watch as they try to sip their solid juice.

Full shoes

Stuff the front of your kiddos gym shoes with toilet paper so they can’t get their foot in all the way.

Tied up

The night before, tie the shoelaces on your child’s shoes together for a classic prank that never fails. They won’t be so quick to be in a hurry the next day!

Snack swap

Carefully open the bottom of a bag of your child’s favorite snack such as Goldfish. Replace the contents with another favorite snack like Cheez Its, then tape the bottom of the bag closed tightly. There will be definite confusion come snack time!

Find a penny

Who doesn’t love finding money on the ground, especially quarters or even a dollar! Super glue a couple of coins or a dollar to the ground outside.

Tricky treats

Swap your child’s favorite treats with a way less appealing food. For example, remove the wrapper from Tootsie Rolls and replace with a cut carrot. Remove the bubble gum and put a cut piece of string cheese back in the wrapper.

Brownies

After school, treat your kids to a freshly baked pan of brownies. Peel back the foil from the brownie pan to reveal brown E’s instead of chocolatey treats.

TV trouble

Collect those television and gaming remotes and put a piece of clear tape over the sensors. So when your kids or spouse tries to click on the TV or game, the sensors won’t work!

Baffling bath

Swab the inside of the bathtub faucet with colored food gel dye. Then when your child turns the handle to run the bath, they will get a big colorful surprise.

Blocked bottle

Take your children’s shampoo bottle and unscrew the cap, cover the top with saran wrap, then screw the cap back on and cut away any excess. Watch as they try and try to get that shampoo out!

Teach them a new language

Test how well your kids really know their devices by changing the default language on their electronic device to one they cannot understand. Just make sure you know how to switch it back before they get too frustrated!

Colored water

Unscrew your faucet and place one of the dye tablets used to color Easter eggs or a few drops of food coloring inside before replacing the nozzle. Your child will bewildered when the water runs green, blue, red or the color of your choosing.


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