48 Harmless April Fool’s Pranks to Play On Your Parents

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Enjoy these hilariously good & family-friendly pranks

Co-authored by Jennifer Vasquez, BA, MA

Last Updated: April 1, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Pranks On Parents
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• Pranks on Kids
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• More Pranks
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• Video
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• Warnings

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Do you want to play a good April Fool’s Day prank on your parents? April 1st is the best day of the year to pull a fast one on mom and dad! Practical jokes are a great way to have fun and make your family laugh. Of course, it’s important to keep things harmless and safe. In this article, we’re rounding up some of the most popular pranks that are easy for kids to do. Plus, we’re letting mom and dad get in on the fun too by sharing some tricks parents can try on their sons and daughters.

Best April Fool’s Pranks for Kids & Parents

• Soap Swap: Switch out the dish or hand soap with water and some drops of food coloring. They won’t be able to wash their hands!
• Smartphone Language Switch: Change your parents’ smartphone language settings to a foreign language. They’ll wonder what they’re hearing.
• Stuffed Shoes: Stuff tissue or cotton balls in their shoes so they can’t get into them.
• Vinegar Ice Cubes: Freeze an ice tray of vinegar, and place the frozen vinegar cubes in a glass of water for mom and dad. The flavor will weird them out!
• Salty Coffee: Switch out the sugar with salt. When your parents add sugar to their morning coffee, they’ll be in for a surprise when they take a sip.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

April Fool’s Pranks to Play on Parents

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1. 
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   Soap Swap Grab an empty dish soap or hand soap container. Fill it with water and food coloring that matches the color of the original liquid soap. Then, place the container in its usual spot, whether that’s by the bathroom or kitchen sink. Your parents will be totally confused when they push down on the dispenser and wonder what they just put on their hands!
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   TikTok Upside Down Mug Fill a mug with water, then place a cutting board on top of the cup. Flip it upside down, and wipe up any spilled water that’s around the mug. Put whipped cream on top of the cup, and let your mom or dad know you made them a cup of hot cocoa. When they lift the cup, they’ll be surprised by the water spilling from the bottom.

   • To create less of a mess, you can fill a mug with something non-liquid, like sprinkles, confetti, or glitter.
   • TikTok user @cheeseballchick posted a video of her playing this prank on her son, showing that this practical joke can be done by parents or kids.
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   Drawer Switch Choose a sock and t-shirt drawer and completely switch out what’s in them. When your parent goes to grab a pair of socks and sees shirts instead, they’ll think they opened the wrong drawer. They’ll really scratch their heads when they notice their socks in the t-shirt drawer.

   • You can also do this trick by switching the utensils in kitchen drawers. Watch as your family tries to find where the spoons went.
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   Frozen Hot Chocolate This prank is great if your parents use a single-cup coffee maker. Make some instant hot chocolate, and put it in the freezer to chill overnight. Wake up before your parents do to grab the cup of cocoa out of the freezer. Put a few drops of hot water on the frozen hot chocolate so that it melts just a little. Place the cup in the coffee maker, and let your mom or dad know you brewed them a cup of Joe.

   • When your parents add sugar or creamer, they’ll realize they can’t stir their “coffee.”
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   Broken Electronics Choose a device to remove batteries from. This can be the TV remote, a flashlight, or a wall clock. If your parents try to use any of these, they’ll think they’re not working. You can then reveal that you have the batteries that belong in the device. They’ll feel silly that they fell for your trick.
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   Hidden Alarm Clock This practical joke works best if you have a classic wind-up alarm clock. Set the alarm to go off at a time you know you and your parents will be home. Then, hide it in a place that will be hard for them to find quickly. When the alarm suddenly goes off, they’ll be thrown for a loop trying to figure out where it is.
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   Smartphone Language Switch Change the language setting on your parent’s smartphone. When they try to talk to their device, they’ll get a response in a language they’re not used to. If their language settings are set to English, try changing it to Spanish or French, or switch it to a British accent.

   • Check out our handy guide on how to change the language on an iPhone.
   • We also have instructions on how to change language settings on an Android.
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   Stuffed Shoes Take a pair of shoes that your mom or dad wears every day. Pack them tightly with wads of toilet paper, cotton balls, paper scraps, old newspapers, or rolled-up socks. When your parents put their shoes on, they won’t be able to fit their foot inside the shoe. Did their shoes shrink, or did their feet suddenly grow a few inches?
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   Broken Computer Mouse Make your parents think their computer mouse isn’t working. Head to their home office or wherever they keep their computer, and snatch the mouse. Take out the batteries, and keep them somewhere safe. Put the mouse back in its usual spot so that everything looks normal. When your mom or dad sits at their laptop and tries to point their mouse, they’ll be annoyed thinking it’s broken.

   • Instead of removing the batteries, you can also put a piece of tape over the optical portion of the mouse. It’s located on the bottom of the mouse. This is what helps the mouse pointer move, so if it’s covered, it stops working.
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    Frozen Cereal This prank is exactly as it sounds! Make a bowl of cereal the night before, and let it chill in the freezer. Take it out of the freezer the next morning, and place it on the table with a spoon and napkin to the side. Tell your parents you wanted to do something special for them and make them breakfast. When they sit and try to go for their first spoonful, they’ll be in for a surprise.
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    Vinegar Ice Cubes Make sure you have vinegar in your kitchen to pull off this prank. Get an empty ice tray and fill every square with vinegar. Put the tray in the freezer for a few hours so the cubes turn to ice. When the ice cubes are nice and ready, offer to serve your mom or dad a glass of ice water or iced tea. When they take a sip, their taste buds may be in for a bit of a shock.
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    Whoopee Cushion The whoopee cushion is a classic when it comes to pranks. The farting noise it makes when someone sits on one is hilarious. Blow into the cushion to inflate it, then find a place to put it. You can put it under a chair cushion at the dining table, in the living room, or on the patio. Just make sure it’s not visible. When your mom or dad sits down, they may turn red at the sound they hear.
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    Moldy Bread Make your parents think the bread’s gone bad. Take a few slices of bread, and put a few drops of green food coloring to make it look as if the bread is rotten. Return the slices to the package. Watch your parent’s reaction as they grab a slice and think it’s spoiled.
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    Bugs Everywhere! There are so many ways you can use fake bugs for a prank. Grab a toy bug, like a fake spider or grasshopper, and choose a place to put it. One idea is to place it at the bottom of a drinking glass. Your parents will freak out when they see what crawled into their beverage.

    • You can also place your plastic bug in a shoe, on a pillow, or in a sock drawer. Basically, put it where your mom or dad least expects it.
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    Cereal Switch-Up Take a couple of boxes of cereal and remove the plastic bags inside. Put the bags of cereal in the wrong boxes. When your parents pour themselves a bowl and see sweetened corn flakes instead of whole wheat, they’ll give the box a second look and wonder what happened. This practical joke is one of the quickest and easiest to do.
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    Upside-Down House Make everything at home look topsy turvy by turning as many things upside down. Go around flipping books, picture frames, containers, and whatever else you can easily turn upside down. If your parents are really organized and like to have things at home positioned in a certain way, this will drive them crazy.
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    Plastic Wrapped Shampoo Grab some plastic wrap from the kitchen, and head to the bathroom. Remove the cap from a bottle of shampoo, conditioner, or body wash, and cover the opening with plastic wrap. Put the cap back on the bottle, and return it to the shower. Next time your parents try to squeeze the container, nothing will pour out.
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    Ceiling Fan Confetti This practical joke is a little messy, but well worth it. Get some confetti and sprinkle it on top of the ceiling fan. When your mom or dad switches on the fan, colorful confetti will rain over them.

    • You don’t have to buy confetti at the store. You can easily make your own. Check out our guide on how to make confetti!
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    Where’s My Phone? Your parents most likely have their phone by their side all the time, so they’ll definitely notice when it’s missing. Take their phone when they’re not looking, and hide it. You can put it between some books on a bookshelf or tuck it into the kitchen pantry. Call their phone. They’ll hear their phone ringing, but won’t know where it’s coming from. Watch your parents search as they follow the ringing sound.
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    Frozen Desktop No parent wants to deal with a frozen computer. If you’re a kid who’s tech savvy, go onto their computer and take a screenshot of their desktop. Set it as their wallpaper. Save any desktop icons in a separate folder. Make sure you know where to find the folder to restore the items later. When your mom or dad goes on their computer, they’ll be confused when nothing on the screen responds to their mouse clicks.
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    Salty Coffee This prank will really wake your parents up. Switch out the sugar bowl with salt. When your parents go to sweeten up their cup of jo and take a sip, the taste will give them a jolt. It’s not the way they take their coffee, but they’ll still end up wide awake.
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    Toothpaste Cookies Take some Oreos and remove the cream filling. Replace it with toothpaste instead, and put the cookies back together. Put some on a plate and offer them to your parents as a treat. They’ll probably think they bit into a mint-flavored cookie before they realize what it actually is.
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    Bubble Wrap Prank If your parents have a roll of bubble wrap, cut some pieces and place them in some spots around the house. You can put them under rugs, mats, or toilet seats. The popping sound is sure to surprise your mom or dad and make them laugh.
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    Package Delivery Play this practical joke if there are empty cardboard boxes you can use. Gather several boxes, taping them shut if you need to. Stack them outside your front door. Then, let your parents know you guys got a special delivery. They’ll be confused by all the packages and wonder if there are some orders they don’t remember placing.
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    Jump Scare Jump scares are fun when they’re done in a safe and friendly way. If your mom or dad just got home, hide yourself in their closet, the bathroom, or under their bed. Once they’re close enough, pop out and say, “April Fool’s!” They’ll be surprised but happy to see you.
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    Swap Out Family Photos Take a few picture frames, and switch out the family photos with pictures of strangers. You can cut out pictures of celebrities from magazines or print out a few images online. Place these pictures in the frames, and see how long it takes your parents to realize that they don’t recognize the faces staring back at them.
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    Googly Eyes Googly eyes look silly and funny, making them a great prop for a prank. Use glue or tape to stick googly eyes in different places around the house. One great place to stick them is on items in the fridge. Put them on the gallon of milk, ketchup, fruit, and egg carton. When your parents open the fringe, they’ll see a ton of eyes staring back at them.
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    Soap Trick Take a bar of soap, and coat it with clear nail polish. Let it dry, then place the soap back by the sink. When your parents wash their hands, they’ll be annoyed that they can’t get a good lather.
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    Balloon Behind Door Blow up a balloon, and tape it to a part of the wall that’s behind a door. This can be by your patio door, front door, or bedroom door. When your parents open the door wide, the door will bump against the balloon, making it pop. They won’t be expecting it, and the sound will catch them by surprise.
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    Apple Worms Don’t worry, no real worms are required for this trick. Grab a gummy worm or two and an apple. Make a hole in the apple, tucking a gummy worm inside it. Offer it to your mom or dad and see the look of disgust when they go to take their first bite.
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    Fake Short Hair This is a great prank for anyone with long hair. Simply tuck your hair into the back of your shirt, and fluff it out a bit so it looks like a bob. Call your mom or dad using virtual chat so they can see your face. Tell them you decided to cut your hair yourself, and see their reaction.
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    Make Brownies These aren’t your typical brownies. Get a piece of brown cardboard or construction paper, and cut it into the shape of the letter “E.” Place it on a baking tray, and cover it with foil. Tell your parents you made brownies. They’ll be so excited to try one, except when you reveal what’s really under the foil covering, they’ll realize you meant “brown Es.” What a fun play on words, right?
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    Ketchup and Mustard PB&J Grab a couple of slices of bread and spread ketchup and mustard on them. This works best if you have deli mustard since the color looks similar to peanut butter. Place it on a plate when it’s ready to be served. Your mom and dad will not be expecting the sweet and tart flavor combo.
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    Fake Poop If you can get your hands on some fake poop and have a dog, this is great to do. Put the fake poop in a spot where it’s going to be visible like on the kitchen floor or on the living room carpet. As long as it’s somewhere your dog is allowed to roam. Wait for your parents to enter the room, and watch their grossed out expressions.

    • You can also use peanut butter to mimic the look of poop.
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    Nutella on the Toilet This is another poop prank, but it’s too good to pass up. Grab some Nutella if you have any in your kitchen pantry. Create streaks by spreading it across the toilet seat. For a really yucky effect, place a big glob in the toilet. When your parents go into the bathroom, they won’t be expecting the disaster that awaits them.
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    Mailbox Surprise Place something unexpected in the mailbox. Toy bugs, a fake snake, or a small spooky stuffed animal will make your mom or dad jump. Next time your parents check the mail, they’ll have a little surprise waiting for them.
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    Smoking Toilet Don’t worry, no special effects are required to execute this prank. Just take two rolls of toilet paper and a cardboard tube. Place the tube between the toilet seat and toilet seat cover. Position the toilet paper on top of the toilet seat cover so they look like eyes. Let your parents know the toilet’s smoking!
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Section 2 of 3:

April Fool’s Pranks to Play on Your Kids

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1. 
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   Green Water Make your kids think green water is spewing from the faucet. Dip a Q-tip into some green food dye. Then, dab the Q-tip under the faucet spout. When your kids turn on the sink, they’ll be shocked to see that the water has gone green.
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   Wake Up for School This practical joke is great if April Fool’s Day happens during the weekend. Pretend it’s a school day, and walk into your kids’ rooms to wake them up. Tell them they need to hurry because the school bus is about to arrive any minute. They’ll be so dazed and confused since they’re still half asleep.
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   Meatloaf Cake To pull this off, you’ll need to make meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Get two round cake pans to place the meatloaf in, and bake it. Whip up mashed potatoes to use as frosting, and place some in a pastry bag. Once your meatloaf is done baking, take it out of the cake pans. Take the pastry bag with mashed potatoes and frost it on the meatloaf.

   • When everything’s done, let your kids know the cake is ready to serve. They’ll bite into something savory instead of sweet, which will really throw them off. But, it’ll still be delicious.
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   Blue Milk Pour some milk into a pitcher and add a few drops of food coloring. Blue is a great color to go with because it’s vibrant and will really get your kids’ attention. When they have their bowl of dry cereal in front of them, pour the milk and watch as they react to the blue liquid. They’ll think it’s so cool that you turned the milk blue.
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   Trick Destination This is an April Fool’s prank that can turn into a fun family outing. Tell your kids that you're going somewhere else, then surprise them with the actual destination. Make the pretend destination something trivial, like the grocery store. But, actually take them for a day out to a theme park or the movie theater.
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   Happy Birthday! Unless your son or daughter was born on April 1, this is a fun practical joke to try. Put up some birthday decorations, and put a candle in a cupcake. They’ll wonder why you’re acting like it’s their birthday. To keep up the act, ask them if they know what day it is. Then, sing the birthday song but replace the lyrics with “Happy April Fool’s Day to you!” They’ll realize it’s a silly joke.
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   Soil Taste Test For this, first make some “dirt” dessert. Crush up some chocolate cookies until they’re really fine and crumbly. They should look like dirt. Also have some chocolate pudding on hand. Grab a planter, fill it with chocolate pudding, then layer the cookie crumble on top. Tell your kids you want to plant some seeds, but the soil has to be tested. Have your kids watch as you dip your finger into the dirt dessert and try it. Then, ask them to try some. They’ll think you’re weird, but they’ll laugh when you tell them what it really is.
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   Backward Clothes When you get ready in the morning, put your clothes on backward or inside out. When you walk out of your room and see your kids, act like normal. Wait to see what they say when they notice your clothing. If they point out that you have your clothes on wrong, pretend like you did it on purpose, and suggest they do the same. Try not to laugh at the puzzled expression on their faces.
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   Cereal Surprises Grab a box of your child’s favorite cereal. Empty the bag of cereal into a food container so you don’t waste it. Then, fill the plastic bag with small toys, like Legos, toy cars, stickers, or crayons. They’ll love their breakfast surprise!
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    Raisin or Fly? If you want to really gross out your kid, try this trick. Put a raisin in a napkin. Hold a bug swatter in your other hand, and tell your child that you just swatted a fly. Move to pick it up with the napkin, and put raisin in your mouth. They’ll be mortified thinking you just swallowed a fly on purpose!
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    Sponge Cake This is a literal sponge cake! Grab a sponge, and cover it in frosting and sprinkles. It’ll look so real you may even be tempted to eat it. Tell your kids you have a sweet treat for them. When they take their first bite, they’ll be totally bummed it’s not the real thing.
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Section 3 of 3:

More Pranks

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1. Did you enjoy this list of April Fool’s Day Pranks for parents and kids? If you want more ideas on practical jokes you can try and how to do them right, check out wikiHow’s other prank articles. Here are a few:

   • How to Pull a Prank for April Fool's Day
   • How to Play Office April Fool's Day Pranks
   • 35 Ways to Prank Your Mom on April Fool’s Day (Or Any Day!)
   • 42 Easy & Harmless Pranks to Pull on Siblings
   • How to Prank Your Brother: 22+ Hilarious Ideas
   • Silly & Scary Pranks to Play at a Sleepover + How to Pull Them Off
   • 32 Funny Senior Pranks to Make Your Last Days of School Memorable
   • 40+ of the Most Hilarious Pranks Ever

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Warnings

• Make sure you don’t damage any parts of the house or ruin items that belong to your parents. It’s best if they don’t have to pay to fix or replace anything.
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• Don’t prank anyone if they’re not feeling well. If the person’s sick or upset, a practical joke can make matters worse.
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• When doing any of these pranks, make sure to be safe and keep them harmless. You don’t want anyone to get hurt.
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