If you're the jokester of the home, or you happen to have a kid or two who love pranks, you definitely know that a certain holiday is right around the corner: April Fools' Day!
The day is generally seen as a reason to indulge in anything from some mild merrymaking to full-on pranks that could leave homes and hearts devastated, but most of us tend to deploy practical jokes that fall somewhere in between. While no one is quite sure where or how the holiday began, Dictionary.com places the term "April fool" squarely in the 1600s. People began calling the holiday April fool day in the 1700s, and "April Fools' Day" was coined in the 1800s.
April Fools' Day is celebrated all around the world, which makes it a pretty fun holiday in general. Here are 15 April Fools' pranks that kids will love to use on other kids (and definitely on adults).
1. Use Food Coloring To Turn Drinks or Food Different Colors
It's a classic for a reason: Food coloring is a great go-to for any practical joker who wants to keep things lighthearted and fun, and it's also pretty easy for kids to do all by themselves. They can simply add a few drops of coloring (blue and green might be especially unexpected) to someone's cereal milk and voilà: instant delight!
2. Jell-O Instead of Juice
This is a great suggestion from Today: If your kids really want to mess with each other on April Fools' Day (or you want to get them all at the same time), put Jell-O into their glasses in the morning instead of juice and just … see what happens when they're ready to take a swig.
3. Make 'Brownies'
This is a truly inspired prank from Reddit: Have one kid tell everyone else they're making brownies for the family. Then cut up a bunch of "E" shapes out of brown construction paper, put them in a baking dish, and cover it with aluminum foil. Call everyone else to the table, and tell them to open up the "brownie" tray.
4. The Eyes Are Watching
If your family is crafty and you have googly eyes on hand, hook one kid up with this idea (or try it out yourself). Go ahead and put those googly eyes everywhere, on everything, and see how long it takes everyone to notice the many, many eyes that are watching their every move.
5. Switch Around the Forks and Spoons
A simple yet highly effective April Fools' Day prank for kids is this: Switch around the forks and spoons in the silverware drawer and just wait for the confusion. Bonus level: Move the glasses to where the mugs are kept, and vice versa.
6. Switch Out Underwear Drawers
This April Fools' Day prank from Mommy Poppins is one for the books: Swap out your kids' underwear in each other's drawers, or even put your own in theirs. Everyone will be politely befuddled at the least, or maybe even incandescent with (lighthearted) rage.
7. Fill Their Bedrooms With Balloons
This is actually something I like to do on my kid's birthday, but it could definitely be used on April Fools' Day, too. Buy a bag of balloons from the store and blow them up after bedtime. You might even want to get two or three bags per room (and, um, a lot of extra oxygen). Your kids will step out of bed into a room covered with balloons, and they'll love it!
8. Swap Out Chips for Vegetables
If you have a family full of snackers, you probably have an already opened bag of chips in the pantry. Dump out the rest of the chips, fill the bag with slices of carrots and other vegetables, and clip the bag back shut. Next? Just wait for it.
9. Stuff Shoes
Here's another fun and easy idea from Mommy Poppins: Stuff your kid's shoes with tissue paper or toilet paper (or let them do this to each other). This is actually the kind of April Fools' Day prank that can last all day, and your kids can take turns trying to trick each other into wearing shoes that just won't fit.
10. Remember Those Balloons? Stuff Them in Pillowcases for Nighttime
Remember all those balloons from earlier? At some point in the day, scoop up a few partially deflated ones and stuff them in your kid's pillowcase instead of putting their pillow in there. If you have more than one kid and one is a budding prankster, definitely loop them in on the fun.
11. Cupcakes for Dinner
This is a classic April Fools' Day prank from Today: Have a kid offer to make cupcakes, but for dinner. Then help them sub in meatloaf (or a vegetarian or vegan alternative) instead … and see how everyone reacts when they dive into their "cupcake" dinner.
12. Clear Nail Polish Soap
This one from Reddit is a little devious, so maybe don't let one kid deploy it on a more sensitive sibling. But if you have kids who will love it, try it out. Paint clear nail polish along the outside of a dry bar of soap, then put it in the shower. It will look like regular soap but definitely won't act like it!
13. Leave the Calendar on March
Spend the days before April Fools' Day really pumping your kids up for the holiday (or letting a sibling do it) … and then don't let April 1 ever happen. Keep your calendar on March 31, manually change the date on all devices in the home to March 31 — you get the idea: Leave no stone unturned.
14. Salt in the Sugar Bowl (and Vice Versa)
This April Fools' Day prank is a classic: Swap out sugar for salt and vice versa. If you have a salt shaker, fill it with sugar. If you have a sugar bowl, throw some salt in there instead. It might cause tears, but it'll also cause at least a little delight.
15. Make Daylight Savings Time Happen ... Again
If you're in the US, your family has probably just now actually adjusted to daylight savings time. Tell one of your kids to set all the clocks forward an hour (again), and then wake everyone up and tell them they've missed breakfast because they overslept.
