50 Best April Fools Day Tricks To Play On Kids Or Parents!

Need April Fools Day tricks to play for kids and adults? We have fun April Fools Day tricks for kids and parents — best April Fools pranks, practical jokes ideas, prank links, and phone prank ideas / text pranks for friends. We include learning about the history of April Fools Day for students and April Fools Day lesson ideas to go along with a harmless prank for your unsuspecting victim!

FUN APRIL FOOLS DAY TRICKS AND HARMLESS PRANKS

Here are some of the best April Fools pranks you can play on family and April Fools pranks to do at home for this April Fool’s Day! You could even adapt some of these for homeschool co-op or April Fools Day classroom activities! If you’re wondering what to do on April Fools Day, we’ve got you covered! Here are some funny ideas for April fool pranks for your favorite jokesters and hoax lovers…

What are some popular April Fools’ day pranks?

Best April Fools Day Pranks (Family Friendly Pranks):

Frozen milk serial prank (aka: breakfast cereal prank)
Wifi password change
Fake parking ticket prank
Family photo swap joke
Switching salt and sugar prank
Plastic wrap on the toilet joke (the ultimate in toilet prank ideas!)
Jump out and scare prank (be careful! You don’t want anyone to have a panic attack!)
Sponge cake prank (For April food days! thick sponge iced like a cake – use clean sponges or new sponges!)
Broken phone screen trick joke prank
Rick Roll prank
Fill a toothpaste tube with white icing prank (fun playful little prank!)
Orange juice in milk carton April Fools’ pranks
Brussel sprout pops on candy sticks trick
Brown E April Fools joke (“Hey, I made brownies for your lunch today!” but they’re really cut out brown letter E’s cut out of brown construction paper)
Kick me sign on the back classic prank idea – a trick that you pull on someone that you can slip a sign on!

Don’t miss the full list of funny April Fools Day tricks and easy April Fools pranks for family below. (They even make good April Fool’s day pranks for classroom or teacher April fools prank ideas!) We’ll also learn about April Fools Day, including why April Fool Day is celebrated! It’s time to up your best pranks game over last year! You’ll love these April Fools post ideas!

 
Affiliate links are used on this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more in our DISCLOSURE.
 

CREATE PRANK TIP: Always stay safe when playing April Fools’ Day pranks and jokes. Never put yourself or anyone else in danger to play a prank on a family member or friend. There’s a fine line for some pranks and April Fools’ Day activities!

April Fools Day pranks for kids don’t have to be harsh! In fact, you can have a lot of fun with innocent pranks for children and April Fool’s Day joke for teens. We’ve listed harmless April Fools pranks for family and class, including some that are fun April Fools Day tricks to play on students at school or homeschool!

Best April Fool’s Day Ideas for Parents To Play on Kids

Freeze milk and cereal in a bowl and let them defrost to create a ‘slushy’ breakfast. (Freeze night before so it’s ready for a good laugh the next morning!)
Change the Wifi password and tell them it’s because the old one wasn’t working but now you don’t remember what you changed it to. (My favorite fun prank for teens!)
Quietly tape paper over the entire child’s bedroom door while they sleep so they have to bust out of it in the morning.
Put a clear sticker over the lens of their webcam so it distorts everything.
Swap the shampoo and conditioner in the shower.
Put a sign on the bathroom door that says Out of Order! Please Use The Other One and put the same sign on all the other bathrooms in the house. (Easy pranks, but super funny!)
Serve creamy mashed potatoes in a big waffle cone with ice cream toppings so they think they’re getting an ice cream treat.
Pack the bottom of a kitchen sink with crumpled paper and place a dirty dishes on top so it looks like there’s a lot of dishes to do. Tell them they have to do dishes before anything else.
Stick a fake spider or rubber snake in their shoe. (Yes, one of these April Fools jokes easy prank, but still works!)
Freeze fake spiders or fake ants (or any fake bug) into ice cubes (use an ice cube tray) and give your kids a glass of water with them in it.
Put a layer of white shaving cream on the toilet seat as the ultimate surprise April Fools’ Day jokes in the morning! (Great for wake up prank ideas!)
Text your kids “I can’t believe you forgot! I’m so upset!!” and then play along with the fallout without explaining what they forgot.
Unplug all the lights in their room and watch them freak out trying to figure out why nothing’s working.
Set all of the clocks in the house forward by an hour to make them think they’re late.
Put a cracked screen sticker on their cell phone, tablet, or laptop.
Replace regular toilet paper with no-tear toilet paper.
Need trending April Fool activities for students? Tell kids you’re watching a film or movie for school and then play the RickRoll prank.
Have a teen driver, need April Fools pranks for teenager, or want funny pranks for cars? Looking for funny things to write on cars as a prank is so last year! Definitely do the windshield car prank instead! Sneak to school or work and place this on their windshield right before they leave. (Be sure to hang around and get a video of their reaction to add to the best pranking videos online!)

These are even fun for April Fools Activities for students by the teacher / April Fools jokes to play on students! Let us know if you have good tricks to play on April Fools day on kids or good April Fools pranks for school and we’ll add them to our list of April Fool’s Day pranks!

OK! Now onto the best April Fools pranks to play on parents! Some of these are even easy last minute April Fools pranks on parents in case you forget until April 1 hits!

Best April Fool’s Day Pranks for Kids To Play

Easy April Fools Day Tricks To Play On Parents Or Siblings (April Fools Pranks For Adults):

Switch the toilet paper roll with a facing down roll (or the opposite way that your parent must have it!).
Loudly announce to your parents that you forgot to tell them you needed a clown costume for a play you’re in today.
Put Vaseline on the doorknob so it’s hard to open. (Great for pranks to pull on your parents while they are sleeping.)
Change the time on their computer or phone.
Get a cheap fake security camera, place it in the bathroom near the shower, and tape a note in the shower that says, “Smile, you’re on candid camera!”
Put a fake spider in someone’s shoe or on the pillow to startle them when they wake up. (Still good pranks to pull on your mom while she’s sleeping!)
Send funny prank emails to your parents that look like it comes from their boss, the IRS, or someone important.
Smear a pair of underwear with melted chocolate and put them on the floor where your parents will see them first thing in the morning. (Yes, one of those easy April Fools jokes… but effective!)
Ask your parents or sibling to get you something at the dinner table. Slip whoopie cushions on their seat while they’re gone. (Classic April Fools’ prank that’s still funny!)
Put a piece of tape over the sensor of the TV remote control so it doesn’t work.
Change the language setting on their computer to a foreign one. (Be sure you know how to change it back or it will be one of those silly actions they will not appreciate!)
Replace all the family photos in your house with photos of random families and see how long it takes someone to notice.
Put fake vomit by the toilet or on several area rugs throughout the house.
Wrap the toilet in plastic wrap or bubble wrap. (Just be aware that this silly trick may mean you have to clean up messes!)
Put a wet sponge in the bottom of your sibling’s bed. When they jump into bed for the night they’ll be in for a surprise! (Hysterical bunk bed jokes!) My brother used to do this to me a sister jokes!
Cover the bathroom mirror with post-it notes.
Use this fake cricket sound and ask your parents to help you find the cricket because it’s driving you crazy! (This is a favorite April Fool activity! Makes funny pranks to play on students, too!)
Place a fake cockroach in the cereal so it comes out when they pour the cereal into the bowl.
Use a fake parking ticket and tell them their car has been towed (or tell them this was stuck to your front door).
Spill some sugar on the counter and then place a bunch of fake ants going to it.

If you have good ones, let us know your best April Fool’s pranks for kids to play on parents! We’d love to add to our list of April Fools Day jokes to play on your mom or dad — especially if you have last-minute April Fools pranks on parents!

What about prank your friends on their phone ideas or funny things to do on Facetime? (Or, even prank call ideas for family!)

Good April Fools Pranks Over Text

Here are some of the best April Fools pranks to do on friends over the phone:

Send a fake screenshot of a social media post or message from someone else.
Frantically text a friend telling the to “delete that pic I sent you!” Keep texting them through their confusion.
Send a text message to a friend hinting that something they said to your parents got you grounded.
Tell a friend or parent you have something important to tell them. Then just text a GIF of the texting dots and never answer them back.
Send a message saying that you won the lottery (or a contest) and asking for advice on what to do with the money.
Ask your friend to stop texting you so much today when they haven’t even texted you yet.
Set up text replacement for a popular word (like “yes”) on your friend’s phone. Then text them a question you know they will answer yes to. For example, replace “yes” with “Cattywampus” and then text “Can you talk?” When they type “yes” it will instead reply with “Cattywampus.”
Randomly text “You were so right!! I can’t believe it!” and then keep playing along with the joke through their confusion.
Send a message saying that you got a new phone number and pretending not to know who the person on the other end is.
When a friend texts you reply “Who is this?” and pretend you have no idea who they are.
Text someone “You cannot believe what is happening!!!” and then a link to a RickRoll. (It’s such a silly prank, but those are still super funny links to send to your friends!)
If you have access to your friend’s phone, change your saved name to SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE. Then, text them “Thank You For Signing Up For Fart Fact Of The Day” and text them a bunch of random fart facts.
Send a wake up prank call to your friends. (Google it! There are many funny website links to send your friends for this!)

If you have more great April Fools pranks for friends over text (or April Fools’ joke phone ideas), let us know and we’ll add them to our April Fool’s jokes for extra fun!

Funny Links To Prank Friends Tip: Use FakeWhats.com to generate fake conversations for your pranks as a hysterical April Fools Day activity! Also search pranking website for more ideas!

ALSO CHECK OUT MORE FUN KIDS ACTIVITIES TO GO WITH APRIL FOOL ACTIVITIES: APRIL ACTIVITIES CALENDAR IDEAS FOR KIDS

How can you avoid being pranked on April Fools’ day?

So what if you don’t want to be an April Fool? If you don’t want to be the victim of an April Fools’ day prank, there are a few things you can do to avoid it.

What if I don’t want to participate on April 1?

Be aware of common April Fools Day jokes and try not to fall for any of the common April Fools’ day pranks.
Stay present and be aware of your surroundings and who might be trying to prank you. Trust no one on this day!
Let others know you don’t participate in the April Fools Day holiday.
Ahead of the April Fools’ date, discuss with the family what is off limits (like your work laptop, the pets, etc.). Set your April Fools Day rules and boundaries. If you don’t, you’re fair game for extra fun on this day!
Rethink your stand on the fools of April. Let it go and give in to the April holiday! It’s one day to have some fun. (Repeat to yourself: It’s only day of the year!)
Keep a sense of humor about it if someone does manage to prank you. It’s all in good fun! Try not to take yourself too seriously.

When is April Fools Day?

The April Fools Day date is always on April 1st. Plan early with your easiest April Fools pranks to play on friends and family!

Wondering why do we celebrate April Fools Day? Keep scrolling for history of April Fools’ Day and funny April Fools ideas!

As part of your April Fools activities for April 1st, add learning about the history of April Fools’ Day to go along with your family-friendly April Fools’ Day pranks for kids!

About April Fools Day History

What is the origin of April Fools’ day?

There are several theories about the origin of April Fools’ day:

Some say it was due to the changeover from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. People who were still following the older calendar were referred to as “April Fools” and people played pranks on them as the way to make fun of them.
One theory suggests that the day is a carryover from ancient Roman celebrations of Hilaria that took place in March. People dressed up in costumes that allowed them to mock others and even
Another theory links the origins of the day to the vernal equinox and the unpredictable weather was seen as Mother Nature’s way of pranking people.
Another popular theory about the origins of April Fools’ day suggests that the day began as a way for people to prank each other after the Lenten season. During Lent, Christians are often encouraged to give up certain luxuries, such as sweets or jokes. After Lent was over, people would prank each other as a way to celebrate the end of the Lenten season.

Is April Fools’ Day celebrated world-wide?

April Fools’ Day is celebrated all over the world. However, it may have additional names and be celebrated for different reasons in different cultures.

April Fool’s Day Lessons for Kids and April Fools Activities Ideas

Use these April Fool’s Day resources to celebrate and learn about April Fools’ Day and even for April Fools Day party ideas / games for April Fools Day!

April fools activities for students:

Check out NatGeo for outrageous April Fools Day pranks throughout history
Read more about the origin of April Fools’ Day
Grab this free quiz April fools worksheet
Get a free April Fool lesson plan
Do April Fools’ Day tongue twisters
Get April Fools Day math problems
Grab this funny April Fools’ Day word search and play a prank on students
Do this funny follow the directions April Fool joke on students
Get an April Fool’s Day activity pack (great for an April Fools Day themed party at homeschool co-op or school)
Come up with some April Fools Day jokes to play on students and friends (use this gag bag for ideas)

Read April Fools’ Day books for kids:

Read these to go along with any April fools preschool crafts!

Let us know your best April fool ideas, silly ideas for kids, or favorite activities for April Fools Day in the comments!

PLAN AHEAD FOR THESE KIDS ACTIVITIES: 35 Fun May Month Activities For Kids And Spring Activity Calendar Holidays

Happy April Fools Day Pranks!

We hope you enjoyed these April Fools Day tricks to play on kids and adult!

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please refer to our DISCLOSURE