I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a fan of April Fools’ Day. I tend to keep a policy on that day every year that I don’t prank anyone, in hopes that no one pranks me either. Don’t get me wrong: I think I have a good sense of humor, and I love to laugh, but on this particular day, it seems that sometimes pranks cross the line from light-hearted to mean-spirited, and that’s what I attempt to avoid. I guess it just seems too high-risk / low-reward for my tastes; however, this year I just might have to change my policy! It seems that these days there is an abundance of harmless (even enjoyable!) kid-friendly April Fools’ Day pranks to play on your children and other family members that will leave them smiling all day long and perhaps even looking forward to the next time you shout, “April Fools!”
April Fools’ Day Ideas:
10 Best April Fools’ Pranks for Kids
- Sleepy-Time Switch: If your children are light to lift and heavy to sleep, move them to different beds while they are sleeping, and watch the confusion when they wake up in the morning!
- Shower Shenanigans: Paint a thin layer of clear nail polish over a bar of soap. No matter how much your child tries, he will not be able to get it to lather! [Pro tip: Have a regular bar of soap ready so that your child can still bathe after the laughs subside.]
- Water Whimsy: For bathing fun that does not sacrifice a bar of soap, unscrew the cap to your faucet and place a colored water tab inside (You can buy them easily on the internet.). Replace the cap, and the next time your child runs the water, she will get a colorful surprise! Don’t have a faucet cap? No problem. Simply paint the inside of the faucet with a coat of food coloring.
- Have an “Eye-Opening” Morning: Place googly eyes on all of the items in your refrigerator, and have your child go get the milk for her morning cereal.
- And Speaking of Milk… dye it! Place a few drops of food coloring in the milk to tint it, and watch your child’s amusement. For an extra dose of fun, act like you don’t even notice that anything is different!
- Want to get a little…colder? Freeze a bowl of your child’s favorite breakfast cereal overnight. In the morning, it will look normal, but watch with glee as your child tries – and fails – to get a spoonful!
- Glue Gag: If your child wants to get in on the action, thoroughly wash out a glue bottle, and fill it with his or her favorite lunch-time beverage. Your child will get endless giggles from friends at school when lunch-time rolls around.
- Snack Silliness: For an after school snack, fill your child’s favorite donut box with healthy fruits and veggies. This one might be met with a little exasperation, so you might want to have actual donuts on hand for afterwards.
- Cooking Craziness: Your children are sure to be met with surprise when you turn around suddenly and squirt them with ketchup and mustard…that turns out to be only string. Check out the instructions for this endlessly fun prank here.
- Dessert, Anyone? End your fun day by offering your child some homemade brownies, hand him or her a pan full of “Brown Es,” (Es cut out of brown construction paper) and watch the eyerolls begin!
What do you think? Do you have a favorite, harmless prank you enjoy playing on your children for April Fools’ Day? What was the best prank you ever played, or had played on you? Let us hear from you in the comments. Happy April Fools’ pranking!
*For further references on these and other harmless pranks, visit the following links:
- http://elemenopkids.com/april-fools-day-pranks-for-kids/,
- http://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2014/03/april-fools-pranks-for-kids.html,
- https://preschool-daze.com/2011/04/11/a-is-for-april-fools-day-preschool-style/
Author: Emily Karth, Writer and Teacher at A Grade Ahead
