One day every year, children can get away with pulling pranks on their parents without the risk of getting into trouble. April Fools’ Day is a day for mischief! Watch out though, kids….parents may decide to get some payback with a few pranks of their own! Depending on the age of your child, some help may still be needed from one parent to “fool” the other. Below are eight April Fools’ jokes that kids can play on their parents!
What Can The Kids Come Up With?
Start off by asking your child if they can think of a friendly April Fools’ jokes to play on a loved one. Explain that it should be a silly prank that won’t ruin their day, but instead make them laugh at the situation. You could give them one of the examples below or a favorite from your childhood to get their wheels turning. When they come up with an idea, continue to encourage independent thinking by asking how they would perform the joke or prank. “What materials do you need? When should it be done to surprise, Dad?”
8 Kid Friendly April Fools’ Jokes
1. Salt in the Coffee
Replace the contents of the sugar bowl with salt so that when mom or dad makes their morning coffee they get an unpleasant tasting surprise!
2. Broken Remote Controls
Remove the batteries from all of the remote controls in the house so that parents can’t figure out what’s wrong with their TVs!
3. Upside Down Chaos
Turn all of the framed pictures throughout the house upside down. Turn other objects upside down as well for additional fun!
4. Spider Scare
Take plastic spiders (or any other bug) and place them in spots that your parents would never expect to see them: sugar bowls, ice cube trays, inside coffee cups, on top of the toothpaste tube, etc…. Give parents a real scare!
5. Broken Shampoo Bottle
Unscrew the lids of your parents’ shampoo/conditioner bottles and place a small piece of plastic wrap over the top of the bottle. Screw the cap back on so that when they go to use their shampoo, nothing will come out!
6. Change The Clocks
Change the clocks FORWARD 30-60 minutes to confuse parents. Be sure you do not change their alarm clocks as that is their personal item in their bedroom. In addition, DO NOT move the clocks back as that could make Mom or Dad late for work; it’s better to be early!
7. Funny Sticker Note
Ask one of your parents to help you create a sticker that says something silly. You can put it on your parent’s back quietly when hugging goodbye. The sticker note could say, “Give me a high-five!” or “Act surprised to see me today!”
8. Paint Dad’s Fingernails A Magical Clear
Ask Mom if she can help you paint Dad’s fingernails with a magic clear nail polish. He won’t notice it until he goes in the sun and the clear turns to red form the UV rays. Make sure Mom secretly packs a bottle of nail polish remover in Dad’s work bag.
Hopefully everyone will be a good sport and the whole family can have a laugh at all of the April Fools’ jokes and shenanigans!
About The Author
Sarah Proctor has worked with young children for over 25 years as a teacher, childcare director, nanny, and mom of two girls. She has her Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education and Administration from UMass Amherst. In addition, Sarah has her Director 2 certification from the Department of Early Education and Care.
