Calling all mischievous moms! It’s time to unleash your inner prankster and have some fun with your little ones. From silly surprises to harmless hoaxes, get ready to delight and deceive with these last-minute prank ideas that will have your kids giggling (and maybe plotting their own revenge). So grab your props and prepare to pull off some playful April Fools’ Day pranks that will make this April 1st a day to remember!
Cheesy Pits
Do you have older kids in major need of deodorant? If they use solid deodorants, then you’re in luck. After they fall asleep, sneak into their rooms and nab their deodorant. Then head to the kitchen and grab some cream cheese. Carefully use a knife to cut off a little bit of the top from the deodorant, and then mold the cream cheese to the top. You could use the screw at the bottom to completely empty the deodorant and replace it entirely with cream cheese, which would be more realistic… but since many of us are trying to cut down on store trips, you might not want to completely destroy their deodorant unless they have more laying around. After you’re done with whichever method you choose, put it back with the lid on right where you found it.
Then, the next morning when they get ready, they’ll get a nice, cheesy surprise.
Meatball cake pops
Are your kids crazy about cake pops like mine? Well, have I got a prank for you! Here’s how to make cake pops filled with a surprising twist — meatballs! Grab a bag of frozen meatballs, chocolate candy melts, lollipop/cake pop sticks, and sprinkles to get started. Cook the meatballs according to the package instructions and allow them to cool. Next, melt the candy melts in the microwave until smooth and creamy. Insert a cake pop stick into the center of a meatball and dip it into the melted chocolate, ensuring it’s fully coated. Add a sprinkle of sprinkles or drizzle with a different color of candy melts or chocolate for a fancy touch. Get your camera ready to capture the hilarious moment when the kids bite into these unexpected treats!
Frozen cereal
Do your kids eat cereal for breakfast a lot? This is a great one then. Make the cereal the night before, spoon and all, and then stick it in the freezer. Serve it to them the next morning as if it’s business as usual, pouring just a little bit of milk on top, and wait for the confusion to start.
Bonus tip? Pick one person to be the prankee, and give everyone else normal cereal.
Golden showers
Okay, okay… not that kind of golden shower. Get your head out of the gutter! No, this one is much funnier and nowhere near as gross. With this one, you’ve got a couple of different options: You can do a chicken bath, or you can literally dye them red, blue, green, or yellow.
For the chicken bath, unscrew the showerhead, and place one chicken bouillon cube inside. They won’t change any different colors, but they’ll smell like chicken soup all day long without a clue as to why. For a less smelly surprise, but a more colorful one, take some Kool-Aid packets and pour those into the showerhead. Then make sure to have your camera ready for some hilarious (waist-up) pictures!
No cell phones for you!
This one’s more for the older kids — are they on social media at all? If they are, get their tablets or cell phones, whatever it might be, when you have a chance. Change the language on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or whatever else to something new that they absolutely do not recognize at all. Sit back and watch them panic before you step in to change it back. (Some Facebook accounts still have Pirate or Upside-Down Mode, by the way, and if theirs does, I 100 percent recommend using that — it’s hilarious!)
Minty fresh
If you’ve got some Oreos laying around, then you’re in luck. Once they’re sleeping soundly in bed, go grab some toothpaste and the Oreos, and prepare to do a little cookie surgery. It’s time-consuming, but separate the cookies, scrape off the filling, and replace it with toothpaste… and then put the cookies back together. When it’s time for lunch, serve them some sandwiches or chicken nuggets or whatever it is they’ll eat, and then wait for the fun to start once they dig in.
Greasy hair, Don’t care
Do you have an appearance-obsessed teen or tween? Then grab your plastic wrap and get busy! Find their shampoo, conditioner, gel, mousse, and any other hair products they use. Unscrew the cap and cover it with plastic wrap, and then put the cap back on. Cut the excess plastic off, and put the bottles back into place — when they go to use it, no matter how much they squeeze, nothing will come out.
Scary mail
Do you have any kids who just love getting the mail? Get their scariest toy, or maybe a prop from one of your Halloween decorations, and place it in there on top of the mail. When they open the mailbox, they’ll scream their heads off for a second. Of course, after they realize what they’re looking at, laughter will soon follow.
Where am I?
I don’t know about your kids, but several of mine would sleep through a literal hurricane. If you’ve got some heavy sleepers like mine, then an awesome prank is to switch beds! Wait until they’re dead to the world, and then move them from one room to another, so when they wake up, they’ll be in their sibling’s room, the living room, the bathroom — anywhere you think would be funniest — with no idea how they got there.
For brave kids only
This last one is especially epic, but only try it with kids who aren’t scared easily or spooked by loud noises. You’ll need a cereal box, duct tape, and a balloon.
Step One: Cut the cereal box in half, so it lays flat and can fit a balloon inside, and place it on a baking sheet.
Step Two: Blow the balloon up, place it inside the cereal box, and tape it all up tight.
Step Three: Frost the whole thing — you can use jar frosting, cool whip, homemade frosting, whatever you want, but make it look like a cake.
Step Four: Serve the cake after dinner, and give a knife to your bravest kid and ask them to do the honors of cutting the cake for everyone. Watch and laugh when the entire thing — literally — explodes in their faces.
What are some of your favorite April Fools’ Day pranks?
