I can’t wait to share these April Fools Pranks with you.  April 1st is a national holiday at our house.  I absolutely love all of the joking, pranking, and foolish fun that comes with celebrating the first day of April!  I have learned that celebrating this fun holiday requires a gentle balance, that if taken too far can bring tears instead of giggles (and we certainly don’t want that!) 

Keeping that in mind, I make sure that none of my pranks will harm anyone’s property or embarrass them in any way that may create hurt feelings.  With that said, doing a few April Fools Pranks at your house is a sure way to get some laughs and make some fun memories!  It gets harder and harder for me to pull off some great pranks on my kids, but they still talk about each and every prank that got them good throughout the years.

The BEST April Fool Pranks

For school-age children, I love pulling off the lunch box prank.  I usually do one or two small funny pranks at home when they first wake-up, during breakfast, or sometime before school during their morning routine.  This totally makes them feel like you pulled off a decent trick and they are not suspecting anything else…especially not anything at school!

Here are my best April fool’s day pranks for school lunches:

Cheetos and Carrots

I often pack some sort of chip bag in my daughter’s lunch, so to get a bag of Cheetos isn’t a big shock, but a nice surprise for her as they are one of her favorite chips.

april fools pranks for kids

I very carefully open the bottom of the bag, dump out all of the Cheetos and replace them with a few petite-cut carrots that equal about the same weight.  I place a strip of double-sided sticky tape inside of the bag and reseal the bottom closed. All I had to do was wait for snack time.

carrots in chip bag prank

Because the carrots are orange, my daughter told me that it took her a minute to figure out what was going on.  She said her whole lunch table was doubled over laughing their heads off. I was sad that I wasn’t there to see that great reaction, but her re-tell of the story was just as funny!

Peanut Butter Egg Madness

One thing I rarely pack in my kid’s lunch boxes is candy.  So when my daughter saw that I had put one of those Reece’s Peanut Butter Eggs in her lunch, she thought she was getting a little piece of heaven.  I mean, it was no little Hershey Kiss candy–those eggs are quite the treat at our house!  I used the same double-sided tape method for the egg.  I opened the bottom of the package and slipped in a piece of sliced apple.  I resealed the bottom opening and it was the perfect shape and weight!

apple in peanut butter cup package prank

When my daughter got off the bus, she was quite mad and not happy with me–Peanut butter cups are a big deal around here.  Luckily, I had bought a handful of the peanut butter eggs and quickly gave her a new one to make peace, and save the day!  She then recounted the lunchroom story and we both had a big laugh! 

This prank will work for other candies and chocolate too.  Pick your child’s favorite candy and then try and find something healthy that weighs about the same to replace it with.

kids april fools pranks

Water Bottle Sprite

After the egg madness, I tried to prank her with something that would delight her.  I bought a case of the small lunch size water bottles and a couple of days before April 1st, we couldn’t find her re-usable stainless steel water bottle.  That took a little planning so that she wouldn’t suspect something was up with the new plastic water bottles.  I dumped all of the water out, re-filled it with sprite, and screwed the lid on tight.  I was hoping this prank would trick her, and also give her something to smile about, as she had never had soda packed in her school lunch before.  This time she got off the bus with a huge smile. I got a huge hug, and a “Mom you’re the best pranker ever” comment!  Of course, I made her re-tell the lunchroom story and this time her friends couldn’t wait to find out how she had been tricked.

sprite in water bottle prank

Oreo Cookies with toothpaste

This year I will be buying a couple of boxes of Oreo cookies in the spring flavors, and letting my kids do a taste test to determine which they think would be best.  On April Fools day, they will find a baggie with three or four Oreos in their lunch box.  One of the Oreo’s will have the crème filling scraped out and will be replaced with a solid white colored toothpaste.  EEEK!  I can’t imagine how gross this will taste! If they get that Oreo last, it will surely be a huge surprise to their taste buds, and if they get that Oreo first, will they be brave enough to try the rest of the cookies?  I can’t wait to hear all about it and the laughter that is sure to be heard all around their lunch table!

toothpaste in oreos prank

Let the kids do some pranks too!  They are so creative, so just help them set up some friendly parameters and wait to see what they come up with!  Hopefully, they will get you good and you will have much to laugh about at the dinner table! A whoopie cushion is a classic joke!

whoopie cushion prank

40 Pranks for kids

There are more ideas! Check out over 40 ideas for hilarious April Fools Day Pranks for kids. You can’t believe some of these!

candy in a fruit can prank

Harmless April Fools Day Pranks

Click on through for a list of good pranks that are harmless but will still get a laugh. If you have older children #5 would be too funny! Just wait until they are ready to eat cereal.

turn milk solid

Still, Need Practical JOkes? Try These:

  1. Fake food – Make fake food like cupcakes, cookies, or pizza using non-food items like playdough, cotton balls, or cardboard. Serve it to your kids and see their reactions.
  2. Fake bug – You can scare your kids by placing a fake bug in their room or on their bed. Use a plastic spider or worm for the prank.
  3. Frozen breakfast – Freeze a bowl of cereal with milk the night before and serve it to your kids in the morning.
  4. Fake money – Place fake money or coins in your kids’ pockets or backpacks. You can even use play money or print out fake currency.
  5. Balloon prank – Blow up balloons and place them in your child’s room while they’re sleeping. When they wake up, they’ll be surprised by the sea of balloons.
  6. Toothpaste prank – Replace the toothpaste in your child’s toothbrush with cream cheese or another similar substance.
  7. Fake phone call – Call your child from a different number and pretend to be someone else, like their teacher or a famous celebrity.
  8. Brownie switch-up: Bake a batch of brownies with a twist by adding a secret ingredient like a drop of hot sauce or a dash of salt. Watch your family’s reaction when they take a bite!
  9. Fan-tastic prank: Hide a small piece of paper in the blades of a ceiling fan, so that when someone turns it on, the paper will fly around the room.
  10. Balloon avalanche: Blow up a bunch of balloons and stack them in a doorway. When someone opens the door, the balloons will come tumbling down!
  11. Ceiling surprise: Tape a piece of paper or a picture of something silly to the ceiling above someone’s bed, so they’ll see it when they wake up in the morning.
  12. Bathroom switch-up: Switch the labels on the shampoo and conditioner bottles in the shower, so someone will get a surprise when they go to wash their hair.
  13. Plastic wrap prank: Cover the opening of a doorway with plastic wrap, so when someone walks through, they’ll get stuck.
  14. Confetti explosion: Fill someone’s umbrella with confetti, so when they open it, they’ll get a colorful surprise.
  15. Hat switch: Replace the inside of someone’s favorite cap with a silly message or drawing.
  16. Cupcake confusion: Bake a batch of cupcakes with surprising flavors, like pickle or hot sauce frosting.
  17. Mouse swap: Switch the left and right buttons on someone’s computer mouse, so they’ll be clicking the wrong way all day.
  18. Remote control swap: Switch the batteries in your family member’s remote control with dead ones. They’ll try to turn on the TV or change the channel and won’t be able to figure out why it’s not working.
  19. Toilet paper prank: Unroll the toilet paper and write a funny or confusing message on it. Roll it back up on the toilet paper roll and wait for someone to use it and discover the message.

Remember to make sure your pranks are harmless and fun, and that your child will see the humor in them. Have fun!

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About Cindy Hopper

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Comments

  1. 4 jokes
    why did the chicken not cross the road? because its legs were scrambled

    what do you call a shoe made out of a banana? a slipper.

    what do you call a bear without teeth? a gummy bear

    why wont a shrimp share its treasure? because he`s selfish

  2. these are awesome and your daughter is adorable! Sharing on my weekending post sometime this weekend. laura

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