Social & Emotional Development

13 April Fools' Pranks That Will Get Your Kids Giggling

By: Amanda Mushro
A glass of juice and a slice of cake on a plate
4 minutes to read
Ages 3+
Creativity
Curiosity
Social Emotional

Looking for some fun this April Fools’ Day? If you have a few jokesters in your house, they’ll love planning each of these April Fools’ pranks and laughing all day long. These April Fools’ jokes are harmless, hilarious and perfect for the whole family!

Morning Surprise

If your kids are heavy sleepers, start their day off with this joke. Sneak into their bedroom and move their furniture around, swap out their blanket for a different one, or move different toys into their bedroom. They’ll wake up wondering what happened and everyone can start the day with a good laugh. 

“Eye” See You

Grab a bag of googly eyes and head to the fridge and pantry. Stick a set of eyes on all of your kid’s favorite foods. From veggies and fruit, yogurt containers, and even on a sandwich, kids will crack up each time they see their food looking back at them.

Silly Screensaver 

Kids love their screen time, so give them a good laugh before they log on. Start by taking a few silly selfies and change their screensaver to your selfie. You’ll hear their giggles when they grab their tablets. 

Spider Surprise

Here’s how to make a sneaky spider into the perfect April Fools’ prank. Start by cutting out a spider from black construction paper, then tape the spider to the inside of a lampshade. When someone turns on the lamp, the outline of the spider will definitely give them a surprise!

Breakfast’s on You

A few days in advance, cut a white paper plate to fit inside a disposable plastic bowl. Top the paper plate with cereal, and add white glue to make it seem as if the bowl is full of milky cereal. Let it dry. On April Fools’ Day, say to your prankee, “Watch, I can balance this — whoops!” Then “spill” it toward the person.

Laundry Swap

Who knows? This prank might encourage your kids to help you with the laundry. Before your kids get dressed in the morning, swap out some of their clothes. Put bathing suits where their socks should be, or put their underwear where they usually find their shirts. How about an overnight growth spurt? Swap out their pants for a few pairs that are way too small. Or maybe they shrank overnight because now their underwear is five sizes too big!

Brown E’s

Here’s how to serve up a delicious April Fools’ dessert. Grab brown construction paper and cut out a few letter E’s. Place them in a pan or on a plate and cover with foil. Ask your kids if they want a brownie and serve the sweet surprise of a brown “E.” However, we suggest having real brownies on hand to make this joke a little easier to digest!

Hold the Salt, Please

Take the lid off a saltshaker. Put plastic wrap over the top of the container. Put the lid back on, and trim off the excess plastic wrap. Do this trick before a meal, then watch your family try to shake out the salt!

Bathroom Reading

Unroll the toilet paper and use a marker to write a silly message like “Wash your hands!” or “April Fools!” Roll the toilet paper back up and see who gets the message first.

Thickest Fruit Punch Ever

Make fruit-flavored gelatin and pour it into clear glasses while it’s still liquid. Place a straw in each glass. Chill the gelatin until it sets, then serve the “fruit punch.”

Baffling Bath

Make bathtime more colorful by coating gel food coloring around the inside of the faucet. When the water starts to flow, it will change colors right before your child’s eyes!

Sponge Cake, Anyone?

Cut two yellow sponges in half diagonally. Stack two sponge halves and glue them together. Repeat with the other two. Then add a piece of cardboard between the stacks. Glue each stack to the cardboard so that they line up and look like a slice of layer cake. Let the “cake” dry, then place it on a plate. Use real frosting to “ice” the slice and to cover up the cardboard where it shows between the sponges. Decorate it with sprinkles, then offer the slice to an unsuspecting guest.

Pillow Prank

Just when they thought the jokes were done for the day — here’s one last LOL. Replace their pillow with a bunch of balloons. Hide the balloons inside their pillowcase, and when they lay their head down, the balloons will fall out for one final April Fools’ laugh.