Silly April Fools’ Pranks to Play on Your Kids

two kids laughing on the couch after a silly April Fools Day joke

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Get them laughing with a silly April Fools’ Day prank. Photo: iStock

April Fools’ Day is the perfect time to add a little laughter to your family’s day! Instead of pranks that are messy or mean, try these playful, kid-friendly tricks guaranteed to bring on the giggles.

Kick things off with a bowl of frozen cereal and a glass of “OJ” that’s anything but ordinary. Sneak some googly eyes onto lunchbox snacks, or surprise them with bubble wrap under the rug for a delightful popping surprise. Ready for more silly fun? Keep reading for even more ways to make this April Fools’ Day unforgettable.

1. Color-changing milk

Add a few drops of food coloring to the bottom of their cereal bowl, drinking glass or even the inside the milk carton. When kids pour milk for breakfast, it will magically turn a crazy color!

a glass of milk dyed blue for April Fools Day — Blue milk will have them giggling on April Fools’ Day. Photo: iStock

2. Shrinking shoes

Stuff tissues or cotton balls into the toes of your kid’s shoes so they suddenly feel too small when they try to put them on in the morning. Tell them their feet must have grown overnight. Kids grow so fast, this joke feels like it’s practically true!

3. Jelly bean ice dispenser

Fill the ice dispenser on the fridge with jelly beans and watch them squeal with delight as the candy clinks into their cup. If your kids are not fans of jelly beans, substitute a small candy they love (that won’t damage the ice dispenser!).

4. Cheez-Whiz toothpaste

Duck into the bathroom before your kids when it’s time to brush their teeth, and get their toothbrush ready to go with “toothpaste.” Squeeze some Cheez Wiz on their toothbrushes and watch their surprised reaction. If you’re afraid the color will give it away, use cream cheese or squeezable sour cream for the same effect.

kids brushing their teeth — Get ready for a cheesy surprise! Photo: iStock

5. Nail polish soap

Paint a thin layer of clear nail polish all over a bar of soap. After it dries, set the painted soap next to the sink and ask your kids to wash their hands. They will be confused and amused as the soap refuses to lather up.

6. Extra special Easter eggs

For snack time on April 1, Ashley at Frugal Coupon Living suggests treating the kids to some mini chocolate eggs. But this isn’t really the chocolate treat they were hoping for, as these delicious treats are actually grapes disguised as candy.

7. Balloon avalanche

Tape a garbage bag filled with balloons above a partially open door in your child’s room. When they open the door in the morning, they’ll be greeted with a fun balloon avalanche!

"Balloons falling on a child April Fools day pranks for kids" — Here comes the fun as surprise balloons fall down. Photo: iStock

8. Colorful bath time

According to the Kids Activities blog, you can use a cotton swab to spread some blue gel food coloring (or whatever color you’d like) on the underside of a faucet. Kids will love magically colored bathwater! You could give other faucets in the house, such as the bathroom and kitchen sink, the same treatment but with different colors.

9. Solid cereal

Start April Fools’ Day off with this fun breakfast prank from She Saved. The night before, freeze bowls of cereal in milk. Kids will be confused when they dip in a spoon, only to encounter a solid block of ice instead of their usual cereal.

10. Funny face eggs

Draw faces on eggs with a Sharpie. Put the eggs back in the carton with the faces clearly visible. Innocently ask one of your kids to hand you an egg or two for a recipe. It’s the prank that happens over and over because you probably won’t use all of the eggs at once.

"Eggs with faces drawn on April Fools Day jokes for kids" — Surprise kids with silly, smiling eggs. Photo: iStock

11. Jell-O juice

For another fun breakfast trick, make some Jell-O in the same color as your children’s favorite juice or sports drink. Pour the liquid Jell-O into clear cups, add a straw and refrigerate overnight. Serve the “juice” as a treat.

12. Delicious fruit

Many pranks involve substituting veggies for candy or other sweet treats. Kids will love this prank that switches out fruit cocktail for candy. Check out this Come Together Kids blog post for the full details of this prank.

13. Somebody’s watching

If your family members like to grab an apple or banana as they pass by the fruit bowl, this prank is for you. Stick googly eyes on apples and bananas (and everything in the fridge!) so that when they look at the fruit — it will be looking back at them! For extra fun draw on a little mouth and watch your fruit take on a whole new personality.

"Bowl of fruit with google eyes" — Cute enough to say hello, googly eyes bring fruit to life. Photo: iStock

14. Don’t touch the remote!

Place a small piece of black electrical tape over the LED light on the front of the remote control. When your “victim” tries to use the remote control, they will be confused by why it doesn’t work, even after they change the batteries.

15. Surprise bubble wrap

Kids can’t get enough bubble wrap! Place some bubble wrap under the doormat and get a laugh as kids are surprised by the popping when they step out of the door. For extra fun, put several sheets of bubble wrap under an area rug and have a dance-off, or stick some under the couch cushions for extra giggles when they sit down to watch cartoons.

"Kids feet with bubble wrap April Fool’s jokes to play on kids" — Let your kids stomp with glee on bubble wrap hidden around the house. Photo: iStock

More ideas for family fun and laughs:

Editor’s note: This article was originally published several years ago and was updated most recently in March 2025 by ParentMap’s associate editor, Kari Hanson, with new pranks.