April Fools Day is the perfect time for kids to have some harmless fun with family and friends! These lighthearted pranks are easy to pull off and guaranteed to bring lots of laughter. From wacky breakfast surprises to silly tricks, here are ten fun and easy kid-friendly April Fools pranks to try this year.
We tend to limit the practical jokes around our house to this time of year because…things can get out of hand! But for one April Fools Day we can keep it under control. Here are ten ideas for practical pranks your kids can use that should cause more laughs than aggravation!
10 April Fools Pranks That Kids Can Pull
Frozen Cereal
Pour a bowl of cereal with milk the night before and freeze it. Hand it to an unsuspecting brother or sister in the morning and watch as they struggle to scoop their first bite!
Juice That’s Really Jell-O
Make Jell-O in a cup with a straw and leave it in the fridge. When someone tries to take a sip, they’ll be surprised when nothing comes up!
Shoe Pranks
Swap shoes from closet to closet so that brothers and sisters have to hunt a bit before getting dressed or tie their shoelaces together. Be careful with this one! It could make everybody late for school and cross the line from funny to frustrating. This is a good opportunity to help kids understand that line…
Unopenable Snack Bag
Carefully open a bag of chips from the bottom, take out a few (so people can see you eating them), then glue or tape it shut. When someone tries to open it from the top, they’ll be totally confused!
Color-Changing Milk
Add a few drops of food coloring to the milk carton and wait for their reaction when they pour green or purple milk into their cereal!
Tape on the Light Switch
Put a small piece of clear tape under a light switch to make it harder to flip. It’s a simple prank that will leave people scratching their heads!
Short Sheet the Bed
Tuck the top sheet in at the top of the bed and fold it back up so that, when someone climbs in, their legs won’t stretch all the way. It’s a classic prank that’s more funny than frustrating! (My Dad, who served in the Army during WWII, first pulled this one on me when I was a kid).
Reversed Mouse
Tape a small piece of paper over the sensor on a computer mouse. When someone tries to use it, the cursor won’t move, leaving them momentarily stumped!
Crazy Alarm Clock
Change a sibling’s or parent’s alarm sound to something silly, like a duck quacking or a robot voice. It’s a hilarious way to start the day!
Bubble Wrap Surprise
Tape bubble wrap under a rug or a chair cushion. When someone steps or sits down, they’ll get a loud popping surprise!
These harmless pranks will keep kids giggling all day long. Just remember—what goes around comes around, so warn your kids to be ready for a prank or two in return!
Looking for Other Great Aprils Fools Day Content?
- Fake Eggs and Bacon
- Tricks for Last-Minute Prankster Parents
- Ten Fun April Fools Food Pranks and for Kids
- Easy, Super Silly April Fools Tricks
- April Fools Candy Bugs
- April Fools Fun – Three No-Fail Ways to Get Kids Laughing
- How to Make Candy Sushi
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What cute ideas! Thanks!
you’re welcome, Dawn! Thanks for writing!
You got my creative juices flowing. Thanks for this! I can’t wait to see what you have planned this year!
thanks, Lauralee–will share soon!
very cute, Amy!
thanks, my friend!!
April fools is one of my favorite days! One year i froze their cereal and last year I did jello juice! This year I’m planning major trickery! I think the kids are planning some too so I’d better be on my toes on Friday! Familyfun has tons of ideas of course!
oh my gosh, DANA!! Jello juice? Frozen cereal??? Totally doing it.
THANKS!!
one year my husand and I put small dog biscuits in pancakes as they cooked on the griddle. Kids had no idea they were there until they tried to cut into them. Of course we stopped them before they ate them!
WOW!! That’s one for next year…but that is SO funny!! Thanks for sharing!