21 Easy Pranks To Play On Your Kids On April Fools' (Or Any Day)

Fill a juice container with water and a drop of food coloring. Let your kids help themselves to some juice and watch their confused faces realize the juice does not taste the way it usually does. This could actually work in your favor — insist that the juice tastes like it always does. Perhaps your kid will then convince themselves that they don’t like juice after all.

Download a broken screen app for your kid’s device and let them think that their favorite tablet is broken. Sure they’ll panic for a bit, but the relief washing over their face when you tell them “April Fools'” will be so rewarding.

Put a ‘for sale’ sign out in front of your house and watch your kids react. Make up an elaborate story about where you guys will be moving to and when. Who knows… your kid’s reaction might surprise you!

Make your kids a special treat with this silly recipe from Jenn's Creativity Corner. Instead of cookie dough, use mashed potatoes (with a tiny bit of yellow food coloring) and black beans. Bake them like you normally would cookies, until they're golden brown. You can also add some gelatin to their milk making it jelly-like and unable to drink. This prank is completely harmless and the best part? It's still edible.

Look to the arts and crafts drawer to pull off this adorable prank from the Eats Amazing YouTube channel. Take googly eyes and use them to give your kid’s snacks a little bit of personality. They’re super cute and will hopefully make your kid even more excited to eat the food (not the eyes!) in front of them.

Get a helium balloon and write "April Fools'" on it. Place it in the toilet, close the lid, and watch the surprised look on your kid's face when they go to the bathroom in the morning. For a cleaner, more sanitary option that takes a little more planning, you can fill up your kid’s closet with balloons so that they're surprised by dozens of balloons floating into their room when they try to get dressed in the morning.

Change all the clocks in the house to a different hour — even the time zones on all the phones, tablets, and computers that you and your kids use. Your kids will be so confused about what time of day it is. Make sure you leave one device with the right time, even if it’s just the car clock. You don’t want to confuse yourself, too.

Give your kids a wet surprise when they go to wash their hands. Place some clear tape over the faucet, as this video from YouTuber funnyd00ds shows, and watch your kids’ surprised faces as they get sprayed.

If your kid is a heavy sleeper, put some makeup on them while they’re sleeping. Watch how surprised and confused they are when they wake up in the morning and catch a glimpse of themselves in the mirror for the first time.

YouTuber J-Nine’s prank will start your day full of giggles. The night before, pour a bowl of cereal and milk and place it in the freezer. The next morning serve it to your kids as breakfast (with a few fresh cereal pieces on top) and watch their confused faces as they try to eat it.

This one will require some advance planning but the results will be hilarious. Have your kids set their clothes out for school the night before. Have extra pairs of the same clothes several sizes too big hidden away somewhere. When the kids go to bed, swap the clothes and watch their surprise when they try to get dressed in the morning.

Here’s a fun lunch box trick that doubles as a special treat, courtesy of YouTuber Just For Laughs Gags. Poke a hole in an apple and fill it with a toy or gummy worm. If your kid isn’t using a lunch box these days, you can simply hand them an apple with a worm in it when they ask for a snack.

This tutorial from DreamWorksTV on YouTube will turn you into a magician: Show off your magic skills with this simple yet impressive trick of pouring cereal out of an empty cereal box.

If your child believes in Santa, change one of the contacts on your phone to ‘Santa’ and ask them to give you a ring. Your kid will be impressed that you have Santa’s phone number and surprised that he’s checking up on them so early in the year. Actually, you have full permission to keep this prank going as long as it works in your favor, whether it’s for days or years.

Get some brown construction paper and cut out a few letter Es as YouTuber Kevin Novotny does in this video. Tell your kids you made them special brownies for dessert and serve them your little craft project instead. Pro-tip: Have a batch of actual brownies on hand because the point of April Fools' is to have fun, not to be cruel!

Troom Troom on YouTube shows you how you can turn dinnertime into a pranking opportunity. Serve cheese as spaghetti with some inside-out Oreos for dessert. Your kids will think it's silly and yummy, so this one is a win-win for mom.

This simple prank from Nickelodeon will surely trick your kids and perhaps even teach them to take better care of their stuff. Make this easy fake milk and put it on their prized possessions like their iPad, phone, or other sacred electronic device. Watch their face as they panic for a few moments thinking it's been spilled on.

If you want your kids to eat more vegetables, make them chocolate covered Brussels sprouts that look like bonbons. Once they’ve tried this version, they’ll have to agree that eating the sprouts roasted, seasoned, and not covered in chocolate is much more appealing.

Tell your kids you’ll do something nice for them by making their bed in the morning. While you’re there, plant a toy snake under the covers, just below their pillow. The hardest part about this prank is having to wait until bedtime for them to be surprised.

If your kid isn't too squeamish, surprise them with a fake snake in their lunch box or a rubber bug in their sandwich. If they have no use for a lunch box, sneak the bug into whatever they’re having for lunch, but make sure they spot it before they start eating, because the last thing you want is for them to actually ingest the toy.

Create a balloon cake like this one from All4TubeVLOGS on YouTube by blowing up a balloon and decorating it like a cake. You can use Cool Whip, which spreads easily, and add sprinkles for authenticity. Have your child cut the cake and watch the surprised look on their face when it doesn’t turn out to be what they expected.