19 Easy April Fools Pranks for the Whole Family
Try these silly easy April Fools’ pranks for the family! This post is full of April Fools’ ideas that bring on the laughs!
Do you like playing harmless and silly April Fools’ Day pranks on your family?
I personally think it’s fun to become a little bit of a prankster once in a while to lighten the mood and make my kids laugh. Here are a few funny and easy April Fools’ pranks for the family. These clever ideas sure to bring some giggles – even year-round when they least expect it! Ha Ha!
If you’ve been following Hip2Save over the years, you know that we LOVE April Fools’ Day! 😉
Here is a look back at some of our favorites April Fools’ Day posts from over the years:
- Wedgies Cheeky Diapers
- Starbucks Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Frapps
- CVS Toilet Paper Receipt Program
- Waterbeds Are Back
- Starbucks Cento Size Coffee
Try these easy April Fools’ pranks for the family:
1. “Ice Cream” Sundaes that are savory, not sweet.
This is one of the best April Fools’ pranks for the family! Use an ice cream scooper to serve up these “ice cream” sundaes that are actually made from mashed potatoes and gravy. Don’t they look so realistic?
Collin actually played this prank on her daughter, Piper, a few years back. Check out this April Fools FAIL video as things didn’t go as planned. 🤣
2. Bug on a Lampshade is sure to create some jump scares!
Tape a plastic bug (find plastic spiders at your local dollar store or on Amazon.com!) on the inside of a lampshade and then ask a family member to turn on the light. Yikes!
3. This Donut Box Trick is full of veggies no one expected.
This April Fools’ prank for the family is bound to get everyone! 😂 Grab a donut box and fill it with fresh veggies for a funny fake-out!
4. This Oreo cookie trick will result in disappointment.
It’s a classic prank! Replace Oreo cookie filling with toothpaste! Use a butter knife to scrape off the Oreo filling and place a little white toothpaste in the middle of one side. When you put it back together, it looks exactly like a real Oreo cookie!
You could even leave some of the outer edges of the original cream filling so that from the outside, the cookie won’t look tampered with at all!
Hip Tip: Worried about eating toothpaste? Instead of making prank Oreos, make prank toothpaste instead. Take an old toothpaste tube and fill it up with peanut butter. When your loved one goes to brush their teeth, they’ll get a tasty surprise!
5. That’s not orange juice!
Do you know that orange powdered cheese packet that comes with packaged Mac and Cheese? Pour it into a pitcher, mix it with water, and it looks exactly like orange juice! 😂
6. Give out some Cracker Jack carrots.
For a fun lunch box prank, replace a snack box like Cracker Jacks with fresh baby carrots. This trick also works well with a small bag of chips. Just remember to seal the package back up with a little double-sided tape for a more realistic effect!
7. “Spaghetti and Meatballs” cupcakes are the perfect April Fools’ dessert.
While it’s technically an April Fool’s prank, this easy cupcake recipe actually makes for a yummy treat amidst the joke. Plus, they look so realistic!
8. Put a healthy surprise in your cake pops!
10. Put some confetti in a vent!
12. Add a special “syrup” to their coffee.
13. Serve up a salty breakfast.
14. Perform a manicure on a heavy sleeper.
15. Pretend you “peed” on the floor.
16. Fake a shopping spree.
This hilarious idea came from Hip reader Tracey and we LOVE it! Save your empty Amazon packages throughout the year and “deliver” them to your doorstep for an unsuspecting family member to find!
“Last year I pranked my DH by saving up Amazon & Target boxes and putting them outside the front door; I even filled them with some books so they would have some weight. He was like, “umm, what did you order?!” The worried look on his face was too funny. Amazon doesn’t use too many boxes these days, but it’d be easy to save up some of their shipping envelopes if you open them carefully.”
17. Star Wars fans won’t be able to get enough of this “blue milk”!
18. Serve up a bowl of cereal that requires a little extra work to enjoy.
Have kiddos that enjoy cereal? Good Housekeeping recommends creating some April fool’s prep a night in advance by pouring cereal and milk and adding a spoon then freezing it overnight. Your kiddos will be stumped trying to dig into this frozen bowl of cereal. 😆
19. Keep the lights off.
Have you pulled off a great April Fools’ prank? Please share with us!
Last year my daughter & I cut up paper confetti & places in my husbands vents in his work truck without him knowing & turned the vents on high so it all flew out when he started truck to go to work- it was cute my 7 year old got a kick out of it.
Oh HAHA that’s a good one Robyn!
i would do that to my dad this year but i cant
today, i prank my brother with a toothpaste in the oreo and its work !!
My co-workers put confetti in my car vents years ago. It was hilarious!!
So funny!
hilarious
Ha! That’s funny 😄
I love the oreo cookie treat!
Thanks Tammy! So sneaky 😊
I want to do all of these I just don’t wanna go to the store 😂 given what’s going on right now 💜 hope everyone is healthy!
Aw I can relate! Stay safe!
Dear Colin and team members
Thank you for posting April fools pranks. We all need a little fun in our lives now
Yes!! I agree – thanks for your feedback ❤️
Last year I told everyone in my Facebook friends list to text my husband inquiring about the baby goats he had for sale (He doesn’t go on FB). He got dozens of texts and even theatrical voice mails and was confused for hours. Many laughs were had. 😆😆😆
Oh haha – too funny!
This sounds hilarious! 🤣
😂🤣😅
My daughter is excited to make Brown”E”s tomorrow as her April Fool’s Day joke.
That’s a cute one! Have fun!
Last year one of my 2nd grade students brought me this small Tupperware and exclaimed “I made you some brownies!” I was super excited until I opened the container and wrapped in a napkin was a bunch of brown paper letter Es. He said “April Fools” and laughed and laughed and laughed. Then I told him he had detention. The look on his face was priceless! Then I said “April Fools” and together with the whole class we laughed and laughed! I gave him the container back and sent him on his way to prank the other 2nd grade teachers, the office manager, the principal and VP, the custodian…. One of the best days ever!! Then a few days later he brought another container and said “I brought you some brownies”. Told him I wasn’t going to fall for that trick again. Finally, midway through the day (after he kept insisting there really were brownies in there) I opened to really find some yummy brownies. 🙂
Aw that’s a cute story!
My kids still bring this prank up year after year. It was their favorite one.
My husband’s mom always tries to prank family members and prides herself on her pranks. And she’s obsessed with her grandkids. Well one April Fools my husband called her to say we were expecting our first baby. His parents were driving to church and they actually pulled off the road and his mom was crying. Maybe slightly cruel, but my husband sure enjoyed his sweet revenge 😂.
Although I am sure it was all for fun, as someone who has struggled to get pregnant then suffered miscarriage after miscarriage, “jokes” like these can be really upsetting. I am saying this so that others can refrain from possibly posting similar stories on social media tomorrow. You never know what someone may be going through. Thank you for sharing though so that I can share as well ❤️.
I too have suffered many miscarriages, but I have to say that things like this do not bother me at all! You have to have a sense of humor and not take everything personal. Yes those were very difficult times for my husband and I, but I don’t live in the pain and look for ways to get upset at others. Many things in life have taught me not to wear my feelings on my shoulders. Move on and find the good and humor in everyday life!😉
Sending you hugs, B.B.
I’m not really sure how to went there..
yeah…. I’m not really sure “how to went there” either.
I like playing pranks on my kids. I have super glued coins to the cement outside (they spent a long time trying to pick it up!), replaced the light bulbs in the bathroom with green bulbs, changed my daughters cell phone into Chinese, moved my husbands car to the other side of his work parking lot, used face swap to change a family picture and hung it up, put a scary picture in the toilet, switched the drawers in their dressers, put a fake $20 bill sticking out on a dresser (just photocopied it), put a goblin picture outside their window, put food coloring in their toothbrushes…that’s just a few 😂
Wow I’m impressed Amy! I love those ideas 😍 So fun!
You are my hero! I’m going to have fun with these this week.
That reminds me of what my daughter did. She switched the dishes in the cabinets..she would also paint her brothers’ toenails while they were sleeping!
So so so changing my teenage son’s phone to Spanish. He is taking Spanish in school, so maybe he can get a little practice.
Now with kiddos home and sandwiches are the thing to make for lunch. Make a sandwich with slice cheese but don’t take the wrapper off the cheese. When they go to bite it they won’t be able because the cheese is still wrapped. It won’t waste food because after first bite they can unwrap cheese and finish sand which. Very funny to watch and they don’t have a clue.
Oh funny idea – thanks for sharing!
I’ve never been that into April Fools Day so I had no intention of pranking my then-6 or 7yo daughter, especially since she was kind of young and I couldn’t think of anything that wasn’t messy or wasteful and wouldn’t end up with her upset or disappointed. However, she heard all about it at school and by dinner time she was upset that I HADN’T pranked her. I hadn’t planned anything and had no time/opportunity to set something up but after some Googling I found a fairly innocent sounding prank. Just before bed I told her that at a specific time the Moon would align with Earth (and maybe Mars) and affect our gravity so that if you jumped at the right time you’d float for a few seconds. We watched the clock and counted down and she jumped. I exclaimed April Fools! and then she upset that she fell for it. I was darned when I didn’t and darned when I did. No more April Fools for me! But I hope you all have fun with these, and other, tricks tomorrow. 🙂
Oh haha well at least you tried! Thanks for sharing that memory!
My kiddo is the same. Every year I do the same trick. I give him a brown E and then give him a real brownie. I actually have kept my brown E for the last several years.
My birthday is April 1st, really. SO that being said, I’ve gotten the wrapped empty box “filled with love”, another box with a fake egg in it and it was “an egg roll”, a cake with a fake top (box over the top of a real cake) that was decorated and couldn’t cut through it, relighting candles, exploding candles etc etc.
Got to love this day, Happy April Fools to every one.
Happy Birthday Nichele! Have a great day 🎉
Happy Birthday
Last year April fool’s landed while we were in Panama City on vacay. I woke up the kids early that morning and told them we had to pack because the School Principal had changed his mind about Spring break and school was now back in session. They were going crazy trying to pack their bags and crying at the same time because vacation was over. Screaming at the top of their lungs how unfair this was and how they were going to have a meeting with al the teachers. I know it sounds mean but when we told them it was April fools we all laughed for hours. We still laugh about it now.
Aw that’s funny 😆
No jokes or pranks this year at our house. This Covid-19 crisis is more than we can take.
Now is when we need some laughter more than ever before!😊😂😊😂
Pop-Its under tires so when they drive away it makes popping sounds.
Vaseline on door knobs after you have turned off the water valves under the sink.
Disconnect the garage door opener so when they push the button it still makes the same noise but the door doesn’t go up.
Oh funny. Thanks for sharing Scott!
My kids put Pop it’s under the toilet seats and then wait 🤣
When I was a teacher at a community college for international students, I told them that something had gone wrong with my job credentials and that our course had been invalidated; they would lose all the credits for my course as well as the tuition for it. “I’m going to advocate for you, though, because this is so unfair,” I told them, “and you need to advocate for yourself too. I’m going to write an email address on the board. Copy it down and send a letter explaining your situation and see if they refund you your tuition.” They all whipped out notebooks with deadly serious scared faces and painstakingly started to copy down what I wrote, which was “APRIL FOOLS DAY!” Everyone started laughing hysterically as they got it one by one. The great thing is that students kept arriving late for the first 20 minutes of class, which meant that every time a new person walked in we’d all do the same scam again, except that now everyone was in on it and acting their parts except for that student. We ended up doing it four times, and each time was funnier than the last. It was a really fun introduction for these international students into the jokey side of American culture. They talked about it until the end of the semester. Loved those students! We had so much fun together!
Thanks for sharing that story Sandra! So funny!
That’s hilarious!! Especially that they became your accomplices! 🤣
April’s fool Day backfire !!! I was putting rubber bands all over Luke’s phone and it called 911😳 THEN the cops came!!! 😲 THEN it woke the kids up and Jacalyn turned her light on in her room (that I had rigged up With a deck of Cards on the fan blade 😆) THEN we had to Clean up all the cards… Well I tried 😫….
My son woke up his 11 year old daughter and said, “Wake up! I just got an email that y’all are going back to school today!” She got up and walked to the closet before he told her!
A really bad April fools day prank is swap the shampoo out with raw egg😃😂
Omg that’s disgusting, I’d be livid
Egg is good for your hair, I used to do kolestral treatments with egg.
I had soap that looked like petit fours and my husband asked were they real and I said sure! He tried to take a bite of them and sputtered and said, “That’s soap!” I told him, I didn’t think you would fall for that. When do I buy petit fours? Where can you even get them?
Usually before I get up my husband pranks me from work by texting me,sometimes scaring the crap out of me,this year I beat him to it by texting him saying my tooth fell out while brushing them he was freaking out!!!🙀🙀🙀🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭
That is hilarious!!😂😂😂 Made me chuckle!
Made my mom garlic powder pancakes
Lol 😂 that’s funny
i think all pranks are funny, it just depends on how far you take them, and who your pranking
We’re can I find a April fools prank
So I tried all of the pranks and failed
I used TONS of yarn rope that I weaved as a younger child. You can wrap things in it and voila! You’re done. You can annoy people w/ this prank.
I told my dad i got the coronavirus and then told him that it has a new name for people who have it under 25. The name for the new disease is April Fools. I feel terrible but it was so funny too!
I lazer maze-d the stairway and it was fun watching my dad try to get through. Then I dumped confettie on him.
Oh haha funny!
haha! i took all of my family members shoes including mine so they werent suspicious about me, and hid them in a safe place, and them in the morning i could hear my mom going to the school to get breakfast and lunch, and she screamed, “WHERE”S ALL THE SHOES???!!!” haha it took so long for them to find their shoes, and i mixed them all up
Oh haha I love that! 😆 funny!
My brother filled those american kinder eggs with M&M’s and jelly beans and gave them to the kids. He had taken out the chocolate and toy and put in other candy and glued it shut again. It was funny. The kids were not happy cause they wanted the toy but he did give them the toy before he left. HA!
No pranks today. This year has pranked us enough 😉
Oh my gosh I don’t know who is worse my daughter or my husband… They both are competitive with their pranks My daughter used tape and wrapped it around the sink sprayer not only 1 time but 3 different times and soaked him She put black electrical tape over the remote so he couldn’t change the channel Then she put white vinegar in his water! Her dad put vasoline on her bathroom knob, on the toilet So many I can’t remember them all! But with things the way they are now, it is great to see and hear some laughter in our home😊
Oh I love that! Sounds funny 😆
I think that your daughter is good at pranking.
Last year on April fool day I put toothpaste on two cupcake and gave it to my parent, it was funny, when they know it was toothpaste and it was pink toothpaste and they was super mad put I say it was April fools Day but they didn’t know.
A few years back, our boss gave a talk saying when you call out sick if he had ANY work you could do then you’d have to come in and do it. So weeks later, on 4/1 I took an old neck brace, crutches and ace bandages and wrapped myself up. Had coworkers stand outside office door and went in to tell boss I’d been in accident but could sit so I came to work. ( I was a letter carrier for USPS) he looked at me and yells “what the hell am I suppose to do with you?” Then I and coworkers screamed “April fool”. He looked mad for about 5 seconds and then burst out laughing. We heard him on the phone later calling other supervisors and relaying the story. You had to be there!!
That’s a good one!!👍
I put a mentos on a piece of string that had a knot tied in one end, then put the mentos in the top of a bottle of soda that I just opened. I closed the cap most of the way, pulled the string so that the mentos was at the top of the bottle, then tightened the cap and cut the string. I just put the soda in the fridge and waited. It was hilarious. I’ve also done the “orange juice” made with mac & cheese powder, and made it more believable by putting an empty can of frozen orange juice on the counter. And, I substituted different flavored M&Ms in the bag of M&Ms, and put oreos in the cheezits box, and vice versa. I also cut a sponge into smaller pieces and frosted them, then covered them with sprinkles. My son loves it.
Okay, the mentos one is brilliant. My son is always asking if he can have soda. I’ll set one up in the fridge like you described. Bwahahaha… (rubbing hands together gleefully).
April 1st is my birthday!! I’ve had loads and loads of pranks pulled on me!! Every year I tie a black ponytail holder around the sprayer at the kitchen sink and aim perfectly so that my husband gets blasted with water when he turns it on…he falls for it EVERY YEAR!!
Oh haha thats a good one!
My favorite prank is putting kool aid in the shower head. We did this in college during the last day of finals.
Three years ago was my favorite. Easter was on April 1st. I hid puzzle pieces in the eggs – when put together it gave them their first clue of a treasure hunt. They ended with getting packing lists and pesos – leaving early the next morning for Puerto Vallarta. 4 of the kids ran to grab their suitcases and started packing but the oldest didn’t believe us because it was April Fool’s day. We were laughing so hard that she REALLY didn’t believe us. After a couple of hours we finally had to show her the tickets so she would pack. We had fun messing with her. 😂😂
How exactly do you put confetti in someone’s car vents? I want to try that prank on my husband!
This is our April Fool’s tradition:
1. Make dinner as normal with a couple sides, a drink and dessert.
2. Write or type up each item separately including all the food, plates, cutlery and cups.
3. Make a copy for each member attending dinner. Cut up each paper and put it in a small cup or bowl for each person.
4. Give each person a large tray such as a cookie sheet and tell them you will be serving them a four course meal. All items will be served on the tray.
5. For each course have them without looking draw a certain amount of papers depending on how many items you have all together.
6. Each person has to finish that course before being able to go on to the next one. For example, they may get sauce without the spaghetti and no utensils or a drink without a cup.
That’s fun!
My husband is a sound sleeper. One year I painted his fingernails pink while he slept. He was NOT amused but the kids and I were.
Oh haha so funny!
I can’t do pranks. I’m too nice, even if I plan one I just can’t follow through lol
Lol i get that! I usually give it away by acting awkward right before haha
I’m going to put salad in my sister’s doughnut. she HATES salad.
🤣🤣🤣
Last year I pranked my DH by saving up Amazon & Target boxes and putting them outside the front door; I even filled them with some books so they would have some weight. He was like, “umm, what did you order?!” The worried look on his face was too funny. Amazon doesn’t use too many boxes these days, but it’d be easy to save up some of their shipping envelopes if you open them carefully.
A couple years ago I sent edible q-tips in my kids’ lunchboxes. I used stick pretzels and dipped each end in white chocolate. After that dried, I dipped each end in a yellow tinted white chocolate. They and all of their classmates got a good laugh out of it! 😆
OMG! I did the whole toothpaste in the Oreo trick at work one year – most people caught on and thought it was great, but I had one employee who finished THE BAG!! And then complained because he had an upset stomach – LOL! He never did know that we put the toothpaste inside –
Lol oh that’s funny! Ha
thank you for all the ideas my little sis is going to be in for a great surprise and my family of 10.
Last year my best friend took a bag of peas from the freezer, brought it to the bathroom, set the bag on the floor, and told her parents that she had peed on the floor. her dad’s reaction was so hilarious!!!!
I love the ones that are simple and harmless. I’m going to try your bag of peas one tomorrow. I’ll ask my kids, “Who peed on the bathroom floor?!?”
One year I sewed all my son’s socks together, just one long discrete thread connecting all the balls of clean socks in his drawer. When he went to get dressed he grabbed a pair of socks and they all started pulling out of the drawer like scarves out of a magician’s hat. He was baffled. We still laugh about that one. 🙂