April Fools Day only comes around once in a year so don’t let your budget stop the family from having a few laughs. The first of April is a great day to get all of those built up pranks out of your system so life can function a little easier after the chaotic day. Although the pranks are fun and good hearted some of them may aim to really hurt you financially so don’t fall into the gimmick of buying items just to make your pranks go off without a hitch. There’s actually so many different pranks that you can do around the home, office, or school that won’t cost you more than a few cents that you might not even notice are gone. So create your game plan and get ready for people to fall for your pranks. This April Fools might just be one of the best and cheapest you’ve ever had.
1. Colored Foods
When it comes to pulling off a prank, nothing will wake your family up in the morning quite like a few color changes in their food. One fun way to make kids look twice at their breakfast is to throw in a little food coloring into the milk. You can do the whole gallon or simply what is in your kids’ cereal bowl. You can even customize the colors to suit your child’s preference. Another great trick is to throw a little green food coloring into your spouses morning eggs. The kids will love see their parent’s face as they bite into green food without realizing it. Of course, if you’re feeling more adventurous then you may want to check out some ice cream recipes. You can actually create different ice creams that look like dinner foods. For instance, one ice cream looks like mashed potatoes and gravy which will really make your kids perks up when they bite into the sweet treat. Another simple trick is to swap your child’s favorite after school drink with water mixed with food coloring.
2. Computer tricks
If you’re looking for seriously cheap pranks then take to your family’s favorite technological device. In fact, the computer is wide open for tricks if you use your imagination. One simple thing to do that will really get everyone is to put a piece of double sided tape or a sticky note on the bottom of the computer’s mouse. With the paper there the mouse won’t work and everyone will be struggling to figure out why. You may even want to pull out a timer to see who figures it out in the least amount of time. Another great way to get someone is to take a screen shot of a popular page they light to visit. This trick can be especially great if you use a video streaming site as it will make it appear more real. Once you’ve created the screen shot leave it up, people will think they computer is frozen and will try everything to remedy the problem. Another simple trick is to turn the volume up all the way. People will be alarmed when they go to click on a video and you’ll have to laugh. Finally, you may want to try out this next one out on a few devices. Simply change the language each phone, tablet and computer use and laugh as the kids and spouse try to figure out what their doing.
3. Switch Things Up
Nothing unsettles a routine like switching up the way your child functions in the morning. While they’re asleep trying moving them to another bed in the house. They’ll wake up in their siblings room totally confused about their whereabouts and how they got there. This is a great prank for heavy sleepers, but might take both parents to pull it off. Another great prank is to switch up their clothes a little. Sneak into their rooms while their sleeping and move the top drawers contents to the bottom. You could also switch up their clothing drawers with their siblings to see who figures it out first. This is also a great prank to let the kids in on. In fact, you can gather the kids to help you move all of your spouses clothes to different drawers around the house. You’ll all have a great laugh when your spouse wonders around looking for socks in the morning. You can also really switch up the breakfast routine by moving each cereal to a different box. This will really make kids stop and think and is great for family’s who tend to make their own breakfast each morning.
4. Play Time
Parents need some time to play with toys to, which is why you should utilize your kids’ toy boxes this April Fools. While your kids are sleeping try locating their favorite toys. You can easily set the toys up around the house doing different activities, like playing in the cereal or watching the TV. Kids will wake up laughing over what their toys are doing. You can also have all the kids in the house hide one another’s toys. Make sure the kids aren’t in on the fact they everyone is hiding on another toys though. You should also make sure you know who hid what where, or else there might be a disaster later in the day. Each kid will laugh when their siblings look for the toys, but when they find their toys missing too they’ll know they were in on a huge prank carried out by you. Instead of hiding toys or moving them you could always hang them from the ceiling. This can easily be done with some fishing wire and putty or tacks. Your children will wake up to a room filled with floating toys!
5. Shrinking and Growing
Nothing will make your kids more aware than putting on a t-shirt that fit them perfectly last week. Before your kids go to bed have them pull out the outfit they want to wear in the mornign. From there you can raid the other kids closets to find a close match. This will be a breeze if you have kids who love the same clothes, but you may have to get creative if they don’t. If kids do have the same t-shirts then switch the older child’s for the younger child’s. One child will believe he or she has grown while the other will think he or she shrank over night. When the kids figure it out it will be a huge laugh for everyone. You can also swap out kids clothes for one of dad’s t-shirts. Wake the kids up in a hurry and annoyance you’re running late while you hand the children clothes to wear. They’ll throw on dad’s shirt and wonder what happened. You can also switch out shoes to make the same point. One easy way to make kids feel like they’ve grown is to stuff the shoes with toilet paper so they don’t fit right anymore.
6. Toothbrush Tricks
You can really have some fun with your child’s toothbrush. If you have little ones that brush try putting cream cheese or other toothpaste quality foods on the brush. Kids will be surprised when they put food in their mouth rather than their favorite toothpaste. You can also sprinkle a little salt on older kids and your spouses brush. They’ll make a pretty funny face when they go to brush. One of the best tricks for a toothbrush prank is for kids who like to store their brush in a cup. After they brush at night sneak the cup and brush out of the bathroom. Fill the cup up with water and stick it in the freezer over night. Make sure you wake up with enough time to sneak the brush back into the bathroom before your child wakes up. Kids will have to laugh at the fact they can’t get the brush out of the cup and will wonder how the water froze in the first place.
7. Fill Things Up
When in doubt about this years pranks you can always rely on filling things up. Yes, it’s just as simple as that. You can start with a bag of balloons that won’t cost you more than dollar at most stores. Blow them up while the kids are sleeping and but them in the bathroom. The first person to open the bathroom door will be in for a huge surprise. If your spouse is your target then have the kids help you air up balloons after school. You can stuff them in your spouses favorite room or your personal bathroom. You can also fill shoes and sock with items while everyone is sleeping. Beads and rocks make the perfect filler item, but try to stay away from items like LEGOs because they could be incredibly painful. You can also fill your child’s backpack up with goodies, so when they check to make sure they have their homework they’re surprised. Of course, make sure you have all of their important items ready so you can make it to school on time.
8. Messages
If you really like to see the kids squirm then tell them you received a note about their behavior or grades in school. Most kids will feel uncomfortable even if they are doing well in school . If you really want to make the prank funnier have them read the note aloud to you, but make sure you add in an April Fools to let them know they’ve been tricked. If you want to play the prank on your spouse then work up a document that looks like the electric is being shut off or something along those lines. This is great especially if your spouse is responsible for paying the bills. Kids can even get in on this trick as they make their own documents to spook parents. Of course, your messages don’t have to be from a formal source. You can easily hide your child’s favorite toy and create a ransom note. You may even be able to get a few chores out of the kids before you let them know it was all a joke.
9. Nonsense
There’s no day greater for nonsense than April Fools. Trying putting on your spouses clothes and having them do the same for an easy laugh from the kids. You can also come down wearing your clothes inside out and backwards to get some giggles from the kids. Let them do the same to become part of the joke. You can also easily take on another language the kids won’t understand. Start making random animal noises as regular conversation. Kids will originally find it funny, but will try to make out whats going on when you carry on with the noises. For an even more effective trick get your spouse in on the action.
10. Classics
When all else fails take to the classic pranks you pulled as a child. One of the most popular is to put a rubber band on the kitchen’s water sprayer and aim it away from the wall. The first person to use the sink will get a wet surprise. Other classics include using a whoopee cushion in popular sitting areas or adding a buzzer to your hand when you greet people. One of the more iconic tricks is to glue coins on the floor and see who struggles to pick them up the longest. This can be done in or outdoors and will really have people laughing.
April Fools day is a great time to let out your inner prankster. For many, the pranks become more elaborate and expensive, but thanks to these tips you should be able to really fool some people without spending a penny. So, enjoy your one day out of the year that pranks are encouraged.
