20 Fun April Fools’ Pranks To Pull On The Grandparents

A super funny prank to do on grandparents: If you’re at Grandma or Grandpa’s house, turn one room on its head. For example, you can turn the books on a bookshelf upside down, turn over any knick knacks on the coffee table, and anything else that won’t break if it's the wrong side up. Watch the confusion ensue, and be prepared to help put everything back in its place.

Is there anything worse than anticipating a big prank? Well, being on edge all day for something that never comes. This funny prank for grandparents works well because they’ll be annoyed… but also relieved. It’s also the easiest prank in the world, since you literally have to do nothing at all.

This is an age-old joke, but it’s a classic April Fools’ prank for a reason. Having an outdoor hang with the grandparents? Glue a quarter to the ground or the driveway. If they’re anything like the grandparents in my life, they will definitely stop to pick it up, only to be in for a strange surprise.

Add a little shock value to a nice refreshing drink. This one is easy, but takes a little preparation. You’ll need to buy a fake bug and freeze it into an ice cube tray, or you can actually buy them online if you think ahead just a bit. Have you kid get drinks for everyone, and just make sure grandma and grandpa get the buggy cubes.

Change the clock on the oven (or if you can figure out a way to do it discreetly, change their watch) and sit back as the chaos ensues. Put your persuasive arguing to the test and try to convince them that on April 1 we change the clocks again, which can be especially confusing since this just happened a few weeks earlier.

With a little prep work, this is such a hilarious April Fools’ Day prank to play on grandparents. Invite them over on April 1 to just hang out or see the kids, and then offer them a nice, cold, refreshing drink. But instead of liquid, you’ve pre-made Jell-o and poured into a glass with a straw. They’ll be so confused when nothing comes up.

If Grandma or Grandpa likes to unwind by watching a certain news station or Jeopardy, you can block their favorite channel on their TV. Just make sure you’re there when the chaos ensues, because first of all, it will be really funny to watch their confusion grow, but second of all, it’s only fair to be there to fix it.

Never underestimate the humble but mighty whoopee cushion. If you’re hanging out IRL, it’s best to put the cushion on grandma or grandpa’s chair for a silly surprise, but on Zoom, your kid can sit on the fart machine and see how many times it takes for the grandparents to say something.

This is one for the grandparents who live far away and really only works over virtually. All you need is the Google app, and you can have a tiger, a panda, a French bulldog, an eagle and more right in your house. You can trick Grandma and Grandpa by sending a picture of a panda sitting on your couch, or a video of a cheetah roaming around (or something a bit more believable, like a lab).

There’s nothing worse than letting someone borrow your phone, only to have it come back cracked. If the grandparents have iPhones, you can plan ahead by buying a cracked screen sticker that the kids can stealthily put on when grandma’s not looking.There are apps, too, that fake a cracked screen.

Put realistic temporary tattoos to good use this April Fools Day. Whether in person or over Zoom, have your kids try to convince Grandma and Grandpa that you let them get a real tattoo. Just be ready for some questionable looks from your parents.

If the grandparents in your life are anything like the ones I know, they will not be happy to find out they have to download a new video platform. They just mastered FaceTime, and even then sometimes only their left eye is in the frame. You can make up a funny name for the fake app and watch them try to convince your kids that they don’t need it.

Got a minute alone in the grandparents’ fridge? Have free reign over their office? All alone in their bathroom? Use the time to have your kids put googly eyes on everything. This might not even be an April Fools’ prank but just, silly good fun any day of the year.

They’ll be super confused when they turn on their phone or TV and find that it’s in Mandarin, French, or Spanish. Just make sure you know how to fix it because it can be hard to navigate the settings in a different language.

They’ll feel ridiculous when they go to open the cabinet for a plate and find mugs waiting. You can easily switch the contents of two cabinets either in the grandparents house or even more easily in yours when they’re over for a visit, and watch the total confusion ensue.

If there’s someone grandma or grandpa loves (for my grandmother, it’s Barbara Walters), photoshop a picture of them and their favorite celebrity, then frame it and place it inconspicuously in your house or theirs. They’ll have no idea where it came from, but they’ll be delighted; even after they learn it’s a prank, I bet the picture stays put.

Grandparents love their family photos, so play another fun picture prank by replacing several family photos with pictures of celebrities (Steve Buscemi? Betty White?) or photos of characters (Chewbacca? Peppa Pig?) and see how long it takes them to notice.

If your grandparents are into Wordle, spoil it for them by making up what it is for the day. You could say something like, “I can’t believe the Wordle was spelt [insert word here] that’s such a weird word.” Bonus points if you video their flip out (understandable, I would too).

If you haven’t switched up your Zoom background, now’s the time. Fool Grandma and Grandpa into thinking the kids are on a tropical beach somewhere, or if you can pull it off, it’s even funnier to snap a pic of grandma’s living room and set it as your kids background so it looks like the grandkid is sitting in their house.

It’s hard to say what’s the larger Zoom frustration, when someone tells you you’re muted after you’ve just said a long sentence, or when someone is talking to you but you can’t hear them. If your kids are Zooming with your parents, have them pretend they can’t hear Grandma and Grandpa (just be warned that you may hear some colorful language when they can’t figure out how to get off mute).