Welcome, practical jokers!
April 1st is right around the corner, and it’s time to prepare!
April Fool’s Day is everyone’s chance to have a little extra fun with each other. This silly holiday has been making people laugh for generations.
It’s finally your chance to play pranks on your friends and family – without getting into too much trouble.
With the perfect blend of fun and innocence, here are some April Fools Pranks that will have your family in stitches, without stepping over the line:
Let’s dive in!
1. Cracked Screen
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare – a cracked screen on their own smartphone or tablet!
This april fools’ day is the perfect opportunity to trick your parent into thinking it has happened to them.
Download an image or an app that will make your screen look like it’s shattered.
Your mom or dad will be so upset until you yell “April Fool’s!”
They will likely be so relieved that they won’t even be mad at you.
2. Broken Remote
Sometimes the best pranks are the simplest ones. It’s the worst when the remote control doesn’t work!
Frustrate your parents by taking the batteries out of every remote in the house to make it impossible to turn the television on or off, or change the channel.
3. Broken Mouse
Is your mom or dad always on the computer? Then this April Fool’s Prank is the best way to drive them nuts!
Put a piece of clear scotch tape over the tracking ball on the bottom of their computer mouse. This will keep it from moving and the mouse won’t work!
Then sit back and watch their frustration and confusion about why their mouse won’t work. How long can you keep it going?
4. Moldy Bread
There’s nothing more irritating to a parent than discovering that the bread they just bought at the store has already gone bad.
How to do it: Dab a few drops of green food coloring on a few slices of bread in the load. Keep the top slice fresh and clean so that the colored “mold” is hidden.
Then wait for their reaction as they open the bread for the morning toast or daily sandwich.
5. Salty Coffee
Easy pranks are the best pranks. Does your mom or dad love their morning cup of coffee?
If they drink their coffee with sugar, this is the perfect april fools’ prank for them!
Replace the sweetener in their sugar bowl with salt, and watch the next morning as they drink their disgusting salty coffee!
6. Toothpaste Cookies
For an afternoon snack (and april fools’ joke), offer your parents a delicious cookie with a glass of milk.
But before you do, grab some oreo cookies (or oreo-style cookies) and slowly twist the cookies until they come apart. Use a butter knife to gently scrape off the delicious frosting. Replace it carefully with white toothpaste. Then, put the cookie back together.
Watch as your parents bite into their cookie – what face will they make when they realize it’s not what they thought!?
7. Lost Phone
Anyone who loves funny pranks will appreciate this lost phone trick.
Wake up before your parents and tape their cell phone underneath their chair at the kitchen table. While you’re all eating breakfast, call their cell phone. Then, watch their reaction as they realize they have no idea where their phone is!
How long will it take before they look under the kitchen chair?
8. Frozen Computer
This april fool’s day, trick your mom or dad into thinking their computer is totally frozen.
It’s easy to do! Take a screenshot of their desktop and leave the image open.
See how long it takes them to figure out your trick.
9. The Classic Soap Trick
Do your parents use a bar of soap when they shower? Or is there a bar of soap next to the sink in your house? Then this classic prank is a great way to fool everyone.
Take the bar of soap and make sure it’s completely dry. Find some clear nail polish and carefully paint the entire bar of soap. Be careful not to get the nail polish on anything, or you’ll REALLY be in trouble!
After it dries, replace the soap where it belongs. The next time mom or dad tries to lather the soap, nothing will happen!
10. Dirty Water
What if you turned on the faucet, and brown, discolored water came out? Gross!
Your parents will freak out about the water quality in your house if you play this harmless prank on them.
Take a cotton swab and carefully smear a few drops of food coloring around the rim of the faucet spout where the water comes out (gel food coloring works especially well).
Brown or green food coloring works well to make the water look dirty, and red works well to make it look bloody.
Watch their reaction as they turn on the water!
11. Out of Shampoo
Trick your parents into thinking that all of their bath products are out.
To do this, sneak into their bathroom and take all the caps off of their shampoo, conditioner, body wash, etc. Then, place a small piece of plastic wrap over the bottle opening, and then screw the lid back on. Make sure nothing can come out.
The next time they’re in the shower, listen to hear their frustrated cries!
12. Upside Down House
If you have a parent who is very particular about the way the house is decorated, this is the perfect April’s Fool’s prank for them.
Before your parents wake up, set all objects in the house upside down. Look for pictures frames, clocks, books, etc. You can also hang the pictures on the wall upside down. Be careful not to break anything or you’ll really get in trouble!
I can say as a parent that this April Fool’s prank would drive me absolutely nuts!
13. Scary Spiders
If your mom or dad gets easily freaked out by creepy crawly insects, this prank is perfect to play on them.
Unroll the roll of toilet paper and draw a creepy spider with a thick black marker a few toilet paper sheets in from the end. Roll it back up and wait to hear a scream from the bathroom!
Or, you can buy a fake bug to place around the house, in shoes, on top of folded towels, on the top sheet of the bed, etc.
You can even buy tiny ones and freeze them in ice cubes. That will really freak out your family when they go to take a sip of water and there’s a bug inside!
Note: Fake spiders or insects are great to have at your disposal because you can use them over and over again in different situations.
These fake spiders on Amazon are really creepy:
14. Surprise Sink Spray
This might be the best april fools’ prank because it’s so easy and required almost no planning. (Hello, procrastinating pranksters!) You’ve probably heard about it or seen it happen to someone else.
Use a rubber band to keep the sink sprayer handle pressed down. When the next person goes to turn on the faucet, the sprayer will soak them. Just make sure it’s not you!
15. Crazy Alarms
Want to really annoy your parents? Set all of the alarm clocks in the house to go off at different times throughout the next day.
Every time the alarm goes off unexpectedly, it will disturb and annoy everyone! It will be a never-ending April Fool’s Prank that’s sure to drive them crazy all day.
16. Shoes Don’t Fit
Of all the playful pranks to play on your parents, this one might be the easiest and most harmless.
All you need are cotton balls! Stuff them in the toes of your parents favorite shoes. The next time they go to put their shoes on, they’ll think their shoes are too small.
17. Habla Español?
Change the settings on the TV or on your parent’s cell phone so that everything they see is in Spanish or French instead of English. Be sure to remember how to switch it back, or they might get really mad!
18. Hair Loss
Warning – this prank might actually freak them out and make them angry. Proceed with caution!
What is scarier than thinking you’re losing your hair? Buy a package of hair extensions that match your parent’s hair. You can find them at the local drug store, grocery store, or online. Then, snip some strands about the length of your parent’s real hair and spread it around on their pillow while they are asleep.
They’ll wake up thinking they’re in a nightmare! They’ll be so relieved to realize that the whole thing is just a prank.
19. Brownie Batch
Surprise your mom or dad by telling them you’ve made them a fresh batch of brownies for an afternoon snack! They’ll be so excited for your delicious treats.
Then, offer up a plate of brown letter E’s made from construction paper. (brown e = brownie!)
To make this prank happen, all you need is brown construction paper and a pair of scissors. Happy “baking”!
20. Food Swaps
Swap one food for another to completely gross out your mom or dad.
This disgusting April Fool’s Joke can be done in many different ways, and the only limit is your creativity!
Swap these foods for a hilarious reaction:
-Swap whipped cream for mayo
-Swap soy sauce & Sprite for Diet Coke
-Swap avocado with wasabi, etc.
-Swap teriyaki sauce for hot chocolate
-Swap vinegar for water in ice cube trays (YUCK!)
The options are endless, and so is they joy you will get from watching your family members eat disgusting items that they didn’t expect!
21. Jello Mold
This classic prank was made famous by Jim on “The Office”, so it’s one of the best april fools day pranks for a parent who loves that show.
Take an item that your mom or dad uses frequently like a stapler or a favorite pen. Stick it in the refrigerator overnight to harden inside the jello mold.
Here are detailed instructions for this trick.
22. Frozen Cereal
Does your mom or dad (or sibling) eat a bowl of cereal in the morning? If so, here’s a good way to to have a little bit of fun with them on April Fool’s Day.
Before you go to bed, make their bowl of cereal just the way they like it and place it in the freezer. The next morning, let them know that you’ve already made their breakfast for them. Then watch as they try to eat a frozen bowl of cereal!
23. Bubble Wrap Fun
There’s so much you can do with bubble wrap on April Fool’s Day.
Place bubble wrap under the toilet seat for a good scare. Place it under a bath mat, kitchen mat, or rug that’s used often.
The popping sounds will scare and confuse your parents, and the best part will be watching them!
24. Light Switch Trick
Make the light switches in the house un-usable with simple clear scotch tape. Mold it around the light switch so that it will be difficult to understand why the light switch won’t move.
Your parents will be so annoyed when they can’t turn the lights on and off!
25. Out of time? Just Scare Them
If you’re running low on time for planning your april fools’ day pranks, there’s nothing better than a good old-fashioned scare.
Find a big box and hide in it. Hide in the closet. Hide under a blanket.
When your mom or dad is least suspecting it, jump out and yell “April Fool’s!”
More April Fool’s Pranks
26. Strangers in the Picture Frames
Swap out your familiar photos with photos of random people, celebrities, or funny images.
27. Horror House
Swap out your regular light bulbs with flickering, low watt light bulbs for an eerie effect.
28. Candy Vitamins
Swap your parent’s daily vitamins for tic-tags.
29. Smoking Toilet
Place two toilet rolls on the toilet to be the toilet’s “eyes”. Then take a cardboard toilet paper toll and place it under the toilet seat as the toilet’s “cigar”. Then yell “The toilet is smoking!”.
30. Minty Oreos
Replace the frosting in oreos with white toothpaste and offer your parents a cookie. Blech!
31. Frozen Hot Cocoa
Make some hot chocolate as you usually do in your parent’s regular mug. Keep it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, pour a little hot water over the top so it unfreezes just slightly. They’ll be so focused when they try to add milk or try to drink it!
32. Keep a Straight Face
What is the one thing your parents do not want to hear from you? That you’ve failed a class at school? That you no longer want to play the piano? Whatever it is, tell them it with a straight face for as long as you can keep the joke going.
33. Hard-Boiled Eggs
Replace the fresh eggs in the container with hard-boiled eggs. They’ll be caught off guard when they go to make scrambled eggs in the morning.
34. Autocorrect
Change the autocorrect settings in your parent’s phone to say ridiculous things for common words, change “yes” to “no, etc.
35. I lost my phone
Call your parents from your cell phone to let them know that you lost your phone. They’ll be really worried until they realize that that makes absolutely no sense.
36. Peanut Butter / Poo Trick
Put crunchy peanut butter in your victim’s shoe. It will look and feel like poo. They’ll be really surprised when you smell it and take a lick of it!
37. Special Delivery!
Gather up all the old cardboard boxes you can find, reconstruct them, and place them outside of your front door to make it look like you went crazy online ordering!
38. Toothpaste Swap
Swap the labels of anchovi paste and toothpaste. That will wake them up!
39. Cheesy Deodorant
Take out the deodorant from the plastic dispenser and replace it with cream cheese. Use a spatula to smooth it and make it look realistic.
40. Confetti
Place confetti on the top of the ceiling fan. When the fan is turned on, your unsuspecting victim will be in a rainstorm of confetti.
41. Duct Tape toilet paper
Replace your toilet paper with white duct tape!
42. Mailbox surprise
After the mail has been delivered for the day, but before your parents have collected it, add a surprise to the mailbox. Fake bugs, a fake snake, or anything else that might give them a scare!
43. Honk at me sign
Put a sign that says “Honk at me!” on the back of your parent’s car. They’ll have no idea why everyone is honking at them on the way to school!
44. Kitchen drawer swap
Confuse your parents by swapping the contents of the silverware drawer with another drawer.
45. Fake Vomit
Buy some fake vomit and put it in the place your parents would least like to see it. Their bed, their car, or on an expensive rug!
46. Whoopie cushion fun
Whoopie cushions are the classic prank. Set it on the chair where your parents normally sit for breakfast, then sit back and wait for the disgusting sound when they sit down.
47. Balloon Pillows
Fill up your parents pillowcases with balloons!
48. Googly eyes
Put googly eyes on all the fruit in the house so they are creepily staring back at your parents.
49. Upside Down Screen
On a Windows computer, press the Ctrl, Alt, and downward arrow keys to flip the display screen upside down. You can turn it back by pushing Ctrl, Alt, and the upward arrow key together!
50. Catch the Poo.
Stick clear plastic wrap over the toilet. But be prepared for your parents to get mad about this one!
51. Ice Cube Bugs
Pop a few plastic bugs into an ice cube tray, fill it with water, and freeze. Serve drinks with these at snack time for a harmless prank that’ll make your hungry kids do a double-take.
51. Short Sheet the Bed
This summer camp classic is perfect for heavy sleepers in your family. Fold the flat sheet in half so it looks like the bed is fully made, and watch them try to get in—only to find their feet can’t go all the way down!
52. Faux Sponge Cake
Serve up a sponge (the kind you clean with, new and clean of course) covered in icing. When it’s time for a slice, watch the confusion before revealing the goodie prank.
53. Cereal Switcheroo
Pour a batch of Jell-O into a bowl with a spoon in it and let it set overnight. In the morning, offer your kids a “bowl of cereal” that’s actually Jell-O. It’s a fun prank that’ll have them poking at their breakfast in disbelief.
54. Mini Meatloaves in Disguise
Make mini meatloaves but frost them with creamy mashed potatoes to look like cupcakes. Serve them up for dinner and watch the surprise when they expect a sweet but get a savory!
Tips for April Fool’s Pranks
- Choose the right person to prank. Find someone who likes a good joke. We don’t want to start any fights.
- Plan ahead if you can. Order the supplies you need to make your prank go perfectly.
- Keep a straight face as long as you can. This is what will really make the prank go well and be hilarious!
History of April Fool’s Day
The annual tradition of April Fool’s Day dates all the way back to 1582, when France changed from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. People who were slow to get the news continues to celebrate the start of the new year during the last week of March instead of on January 1st. They become the butt of the joke.
April Fool’s Day spree throughout Britan during the 18th century, where people would send their pranks on fake errands and pin fake tails on them.
It’s been celebrated for many centuries across various cultures, but its exact origins are not fully known.
These are some good pranks if we do say so ourselves.
We hope this list of pranks makes your april fool’s day memorable for your whole family. (And that you don’t get into too much trouble for them!)
At the end of the day, we all need laughter. It’s the best medicine, after all.
We hope you have a good time trying out these silly tricks, and we can’t wait to hear how it went.
Related Posts:
101 Funny Kids Jokes For March
175 Dumb Jokes That Are Actually Funny
Calie Herbst, Editor-in-Chief of Milwaukee With Kids, has spent over a decade combining her experiences as a parent of three to create a hub for Milwaukee’s family adventures.
Her decade-long teaching career in Milwaukee Public Schools and academic background, including a Master’s in Teaching from Marquette University and dual B.A.s in Sociology and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, fuel her passion for inclusive and engaging family content.
Calie is also a recognized voice in local media, contributing to WISN Channel 12 News, WTMJ Wisconsin Morning News, Fox 6’s Real Milwaukee, and B93.3.
Discover more about Calie’s journey and editorial approach on her About Page and Editorial Policy Page.