On April Fool’s Day back in fourth grade, I remember some intrepid soul put a whoopie cushion on Sr. Marie’s chair. When the ancient and formidable nun sat down at her desk and the fart sound rang out, we all lost it. Was she amused? No. Did we all get in trouble? Yes. Was it worth it? You bet. While jokes and pranks are meant to be fun, sometimes it’s hard to figure out what pranks go too far (a whoopie cushion does not typically go too far). Have no fear — we’ve got your covered. Make the day about fun and inclusivity with these clean, kid-friendly pranks designed to get laughter and not tears.
If you’re a prankster, April Fools is basically your Christmas and birthday wrapped into one. Some people get a special thrill out of tricking others and we’re here for it! However, it’s important to remember that when you’re fooling around with April fools, to make sure your pranks aren’t dangerous or cause traumatic or severe emotional damage to anyone. Embarrassment is sometimes part of a joke and is fine in small dosages. So if you’re a jokester who sometimes doesn’t know their limit, we’re here to guide you in the right direction. A few good ways to check yourself is to ask yourself, is this offensive? Then make sure it’s an OK time and place. For example, avoid pranking someone on an important day in their life or during a religious function. And it’s always better to prank someone you know instead of a stranger. You’re less likely to find yourself in an unfortunate position.
1. Juice Joke — Make a batch of Jell-O and offer it to your child as juice.
2. Googly Eyes — Attach googly eyes to everything in your child’s lunch box — or put googly eyes on every item in the fridge.
3. Toilet Paper Message — Unroll the toilet paper and leave a funny message. Then roll it back up and wait for the fun!
4. Classic Whoopee Cushion — Put a whoopee cushion under the baby’s high chair or stroller seat and see if the baby will laugh at the sound.
5. Colorful Milk — Put a few drops of food coloring into a carton of milk. When your child goes to pour a glass, she will get a surprise!
6. Dinner Cupcakes — Bake mini meatloaf cupcakes and “decorate” with mashed potato icing.
7. Cereal Switcheroo — Switch the bags inside two boxes of cereal—maybe instead of Froot Loops, your kid will get some All Bran!
8. Wig Disguise — Pick up your child from school wearing a colorful or funny wig.
9. Bed Switch — Once your kids have fallen asleep, gently move them into different beds.
10. Grilled Cheese Cake — Take slices of pound cake and ice them with yellow-colored buttercream frosting to look like cheese.
11. Bubble Wrap — Hide some bubble wrap under the bathmat and rug for some snap, crackle, and pop.
12. Broccoli for Breakfast — Instead of regular breakfast, put some broccoli or another green vegetable on their plate. Have their regular breakfast on standby because they will not be happy.
13. Eggs with Faces — Draw some funny faces on your eggs for a fun surprise in the fridge.
14. Brown-E’s — Tell your kid there is a pan of brown E’s on the counter. Watch their excitement flag as they discover brown, cardboard cutouts of the letter E instead of a chocolatey snack.
15. Frozen Breakfast — Put milk and cereal in a bowl and freeze overnight. Present to your child for breakfast.
16. Bathing Suits — Put swimwear in their underwear drawer for a fun prank.
17. Bathtime Water Joke — Use a Q-tip to put some gel food coloring around the inside of the faucet. When the water is turned on, colored water will come out!
18. Bean Cookies — Make “chocolate chip cookies” our of mashed potatoes and black beans.
19. Bigfoot Prank — Stuff the inside of your kids’ shoes with toilet paper and make them wonder how they grew so big overnight.
20. Little Kid Lunch — Pack your older kid’s lunch with baby food like pouches, cereal, and a bottle.
21. Egg Switch — Make your kids sunny side up eggs that are really canned peach halves laying in yogurt.
22. Face Art — Draw a mustache or some extra eyebrows on your child so they get a laugh in the morning when they look in the mirror.
23. Remote Control — Take the batteries out. No more Paw Patrol!
24. Balloon Surprise — Write “Happy April Fool’s” on an inflated balloon, put it in the toilet, and close the lid. Your kid will be surprised the next morning! Don’t do this if your child is toilet training.
24. Shrunken Clothing — Buy a too small shirt and pants and lay them out for your kid to wear to school. Act like nothing is wrong.
25. The Upside Down — Sneak into your child’s room and turn a bunch of their things upside down.
26. Candy Bug — Put a candy bug somewhere in the house where your child will find it. Then, instead of taking care of the bug, simply eat it!
27. Mailbox Surprise — Put something weird in the mailbox. Then ask your child to get the mail.
28. Snack Bags — Open a small snack bag and remove the Cheetos or potato chips or whatever. Replace with carrot sticks or another vegetable. Then, superglue the bag shut.
29. Special Delivery — Address a small package to your child. Put a note inside that says “April Fool’s.”
30. Broccoli Lollipops — Take off the wrapper from some regular lollipops. Affix a vegetable such as broccoli or cauliflower to a stick and then put the lollipop wrapper back on.
31. Replacing Photos — Replace some photos around with houses with a picture of a celebrity (may we recommend the wonderful Steve Buscemi?) or someone your child finds funny.
Click here for more pranks, jokes, and all things fun and games.
This article was originally published on