40 April Fools Day Pranks for Kids

Kids will LOVE being “in” on these goofy jokes! A BIG list of friendly April Fools Pranks for kids that are FUN for EVERYONE! (Nothing mean or scary here!) Updated for 2024!

collage of funny prank photos, text overlay "40 harmless April fools pranks for kids".

Fun & Harmless April Fools Pranks for Kids

I love April Fools’ Day!

Don’t You??

It’s such a fun and silly holiday that I always looked forward to as a kid because it was an opportunity to be creative and laugh with my family. Even as a grown-up, I still love to celebrate because my kids get a kick out of it too!

What I don’t love are mean pranks that are meant to worry or scare. Why would we want to upset the people we care about, even if it’s just a joke?

If you love to celebrate April Fools for kids as much as we do, then I’ve got the perfect collection of April Fools Day pranks for you!

Because pranks aren’t fun if they hurt another person’s feelings (especially a kid, am I right??), I gathered a list of GOOD-spirited April Fools pranks for kids!

These fun and goofy April Fools jokes will get kids both thinking and laughing! Some of them are really clever!

Kids will love being “in” on the joke!

Some of the April Fools pranks on this list are jokes that we parents can set up for our kids, while others are pranks that kids can help set up too.

All of these April Fools jokes for kids are silly, and intended to be good-humored. Nothing gross, scary, or mean here!

 

How Did April Fools’ Day Begin?

April Fools Day has been celebrated for centuries in many parts of the world. But where and why did this unofficial holiday start?

According to History.com, some historians believe that a calendar change may be the reason for this silly season!

In 1582, France switched from the Julian calendar (which celebrated the new year in springtime) to the Gregorian calendar (which marked New Year’s Day as January 1st). Some people didn’t get the memo and continued to celebrate the new year during the last week of March and were laughed at and pranked for their gullibility.

The tradition spread throughout parts of Europe and Great Britain and finally over to the United States, growing in popularity over the years. And here we are!

What’s a Good April Fool’s Prank for Kids at School?

Not gonna lie…sometimes 2022 felt like one big episode of Punked! I’m actually glad for April Fool’s Day this year because it will be a bright spot in what continues to be a challenging time.

We’ve all been spending more time at home over the past year, so this is an opportunity to do something fun and out of the ordinary for kids! If you’re doing school at home, you can pretty much do any of these pranks throughout the day…hehe!

You can even use the April Fools history lesson above to incorporate it into your school day! Win-win!

If your kids are back in the classroom, the silly snacks (dirt pudding with gummy worms, “moldy” sandwich, etc) would be a funny surprise in the middle of the school day!

The Best April Fools Jokes for Kids

Click on the links below to view the full tutorial for each of these fun April Fools Jokes for kids. This list may include shop-able ad links for items our family loves; read our full disclosure policy here.

We’ve divided these ideas into a few categories:

  1. Funny Food
  2. Ooey Gooey
  3. Crafty Creations

Scroll to see photos showing each of the pranks in action, and click on the links to check out the full tutorials to recreate them in your own home.

You can also watch 4 of these easy pranks that we tried at home here:

Funny Food

Nothing is what it seems!!

2 photo collage: brussel sprouts cake pops

Brussel Sprout Cake Pop (from Cooking Mamas) — Maybe the chocolate will make these hidden veggies taste good? We re-created this prank for a TV appearance in 2022 and they looked SO cool! It’s a little time-intensive to set up, but so worth it!

spilled coffee April fools prank

Spilled Coffee Prank (from Red Ted Art) — A portable prop you can use again and again! My kids made one for me and they have used it ALL year long to prank me!

mom serving kids prank cereal for April Fool's Day

“Broccoli Buddies” Prank Cereal Box — This looks like a real cereal box….my kids got a kick out of this one! You can get them on Amazon here or on the Prank-O website!

sponge decorated to look like a cake

Sponge Cake Craft (from Sugar, Spice & Glitter) — There’s a surprise inside this cute cake!

cupcakes made to look like they have broccoli on top

“Veggie Cupcakes”(from Ruffles & Rainbows) — They look like they’re topped with plain ‘ol broccoli and tomatoes, but these April Fool’s cupcakes are secretly sweet!

"undrinkable orange juice" April Fool's Prank for kids

“Undrinkable Orange Juice” (from My Kids Lick the Bowl) — Plus more funny food pranks for April Fool’s Day!

family friendly April Fool's pranks

Grape Juice Jell-O (from Make It & Love It) — A simple-looking snack that brings the laughs!

harmless April Fool's pranks for kids

Brown E’s (from JDaniel4’s Mom) — This play-on-words prank will have everyone thinking and laughing!

 

A spooky Halloween bento lunch that kids will love to eat (and you can feel good about serving). Protein, fruits, and veggies and so much fun!

Creepy-Crawly Lunch (affiliate links) — Instead of the usual school lunch, include things like chocolate rocks and gummy “bugs” – they look weird but taste delicious!

family friendly April Fool's pranks

Frozen Cereal (from Kids Activities Blog) — This breakfast prank is guaranteed to start the day off with a smile.

family friendly April Fool's pranks

Candy Eggs & Bacon (from Teach Mama) — You see a lot of “taste” jokes for April Fools Day, but I like this one because it is actually yummy!

frosting toothpaste April Fool's joke

Frosting “Toothpaste” (from Organized 31) —  Toothpaste has never tasted this good!!

chocolate chip cookies in a crockpot

Crockpot Cookies (from Tamilee Tips) — Who knew you could make chocolate chip cookies in the crockpot!! Wink, wink

harmless April Fool's pranks for kids

Broccoli Lollipops (from the Decorated Cookie) — These colorfully-wrapped lollipops aren’t quite what’s expected!

harmless April Fool's pranks for kids

“Moldy” Sandwich (from Perpetual Kid) — Safe to eat, but will definitely make the kiddos do a double take when they find this sandwich in their lunch! This is an easy April Fool’s Day prank that we tried out ourselves…it looks so realistic!

harmless April Fool's pranks for kids

Chicken Pot Pies Dessert (from Sugar Spice & Glitter) — These little chicken pot pies look just like a real dinner…but kids will be delighted to find out they are actually a dessert!

Ooey-Gooey Gags

Slime….boogers….you name it! These are the goofiest gross-out gags that kids will love!

You'll love this easy safe slime recipe! This edible silly putty is only 3 simple ingredients for hours of sensory play.

Pretend Snot Slime (from The Soccer Mom Blog) — Pick one of our favorite slime recipes or even one of our taste-safe edible slime recipes and create a a slime-y good gag!

fake dog poop April Fools prank for kids

Fake Dog Poo (from Kids Craft Room) — Looks real, smells just fine! I know I promised a non-gross prank list, but this one is super funny and kids love it!

hand holding slime shaped like a poo emoji

Poop Emoji Slime — Speaking of poo…this chocolate slime is actually taste-safe!

harmless April Fool's pranks for kidsImage: Mattel

Gas Out Game (affiliate link) — Not only do my girls love to play this toot-themed counting game, they love to prank me by playing the noises at unexpected moments!

Clever Creations

Get a little bit crafty with these funny brain-bending jokes! Make the day full of surprises!

How to make homemade glycerine soaps for kids with ice cream erasers inside

Toys Trapped in Soap (from the Soccer Mom Blog) — Use our glycerine soap recipe to trap little toys, like LEGO pieces, in a bar of clear soap! It will also double as incentive for bath time!

beads and LEGO pieces in cereal bowl with green milk for April Fool's Day

Silly Cereal and Green Milk (from Organized 31) — What a surprise they’ll get when pouring cereal and milk in the morning!

Fake Bug (from Katie's Crochet Goodies & Crafts) — Don't worry, there's nothing creepy, crawly, or slimy about this prank. It's a fun shadow trick!Sleeping Kid Prank (from Kids Activities Blog) — Your kids will get a kick out of seeing their "funny faces" when they wake up!

Candy in a Fruit Can (from Come Together Kids) — I think the name says it all…kids will love this joke!

family friendly April Fool's pranks

Giant Googly Eyes (from Paging Fun Mums) — I absolutely love this simple joke! It would also make an awesome Halloween decoration.

family friendly April Fool's pranks

Windshield Wiper Rainbow (from Helmut Smits) — Turn the windshield wipers on for a surprise that will delight all your little passengers! -pictured above

harmless April Fool's pranks for kids

Blue Bathwater (from Kids Activities Blog) — Turn on the faucet for a colorful surprise!

harmless April Fool's pranks for kids

Donut Seeds (from Very Enchanting) — Clever and fun! See if your kids will actually try to plant these!

More Family Friendly April Fools Pranks

  • Grape & Tomato Sweets (from Eats Amazing)
  • Up-side Down House (from Kids Activities Blog) — While the kids sleep on the night before April Fools’ Day, turn as many things upside-down around the house as possible! Picture frames, candles, you name it! Just wait for the shrieks of delight when the kids wake up and see the silly surprises!
  • Woven “Straw”berries (from JDaniel4’s Mom) — Another good-spirited “thinking joke”
  • Tissue Dispenser Necklace (from Make It & Love It) — If your kids ask for tissues all the time, offer them this clever solution wink, wink
  • Sleeping Kid Prank (from Kids Activities Blog) — Your kids will get a kick out of seeing their “funny faces” when they wake up!
  • Carrots in a Candy Box (from Come Together Kids) — Surprise!! A healthy treat is inside!
  • Cheesy Chocolate Spread (from De tout et de rien: Activités pour le Préscolaire) — It looks like chocolate…but is it??
  • Milk Splatter (from Instructables) — Just think of all the fun places you could create a “milk” spill!
  • Lamp Light Show (affiliate link) — Swap out a light bulb or two in your house with these remote-controlled light bulbs with 16 color choices! So much fun!!
  • “Pooh” in my Bed (from Play Dr. Mom) — Don’t worry, there’s nothing gross about this one, or any of the other play-on words pranks in this post.
  • Family Photos in the Weekly Ad (from Teach Mama) — The kids will have a blast doctoring up the weekly newspaper ads to include familiar faces. The perfect joke for that parent who loves to read the morning paper!
  • April Table Topics: Jokes (from Growing Book By Book) — Keep the fun going all month long with this list of April Fools jokes for kids!
  • Growing a “Money Tree” (from Megan Zeni) — This one is based on a book!

We hope you have a blast trying out these April Fools Pranks for Kids! Share your favorite jokes and ideas in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this collection of family-friendly April Fools pranks for kids, check out some more of our favorite kids activities below!

You might also like:

Easy, non-toxic, & only 3 ingredients! This recipe for edible silly putty changes colors while you mix it! A fun, safe slime alternative (No glue required!)

3-Ingredient Edible Silly Putty

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40+ Summer Kids Activities to get the Whole Family Moving

A BIG list of friendly April Fools Pranks for kids that are FUN for EVERYONE! Updated for 2019!

Stacey aka the Soccer Mom
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4 Comments

  1. These April fools jokes are great. I will be putting a few of them into use this april fools. I am sure it will get some laughs from my kids as they love good pranks.

  2. Moms can prank also. A few years ago, my daughter and a few of her friends spent the night at our house. The girls left quite an array of Converse sneakers in the way at the front door. Seeing as it was summer time, none of the girls were wearing socks. Instead of chastising them, I thought I’d teach them a lesson in a prankful way. I smeared a nice slimy gob of Vaseline into the toe area of every sneaker. The next morning, I heard the girl scream as their toes discovered my slimy prank! Needless to say,their Converse tennies were never in my way ever again! The girls pranked me back by cutting laces almost in half on EVERY pair of my sneakers. They kept snapping every time I attempted to lace up! lol Thanks, Debbie

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