10 April Fools' pranks for kids (that they won't expect!)
Ah, April Fool’s Day. A day associated with playing pranks and jokes, and let's face it, this year we could all do with a laugh, so we’ve got plenty of inspiration for April 1st mischief-making.
Let's have a giggle with our tots with some sneaky tricks that'll be fun for everyone.
Take a look through our list and start plotting your dastardly plans now...
1. Wormy apple
Poke a couple of holes into the skin of a nice juicy apple and thread a gummy worm inside it. Present nice juicy apple to unsuspecting child and wait for their squeals of horror when they bite into it and find half a worm.
2. The exploding cake
Aww, how sweet, you’ve made your little ones a big cake to thank them for their recent Mother’s Day efforts. Wow, you’re even trusting them with a knife to cut it? Oh – what’s this? The cake was actually just an inflated balloon with a load of whipped cream and sprinkles on top? And now it’s all over their shocked faces? What a bad mummy you are!
3. ‘There’s a dinosaur in the garden!’
This one’s guaranteed to make them come running. Keep up the pretense for as long as you can by telling your disappointed kids that you saw a T-Rex jumping over the fence. Ooh – is that it there? Nope, just a bird. There! No, Mum just needs to put on her glasses.
4. The ‘How could you forget it’s dress like your parent day at school?’ prank
Maximum points if you can get your kids all the way to school still clothed in a pair of your leggings and a tunic dress, or dad's shirt and tie. They’ll never live it down – and you’ll be the talk of the staffroom for weeks to come.
5. Topsy turvy world
Okay, so this one might take a little more planning, but wouldn’t it be amazing for your child to wake up in the morning and see all of their belongings upside down? A bonus to those of you who greet them while doing a handstand.
6. Fun with food colouring
Let’s face it, the only times you use those tiny bottles of food dye in your kitchen cupboard is to fool your kids. So why not put a tiny drop of blue onto their toothbrushes just before they brush their teeth? You know you want to…
7. Knickers in a twist
Switch out the underwear drawer for each of your kids or replace theirs with adult underwear. You could do this with any of their clothing drawers, but of course, underwear gags always get the biggest laugh.
8. Cereal killer
Take one bowl, fill it halfway with water and stick a spoon in it. Leave it in the freezer overnight, then in the morning top it up with cereal and milk. Present to your unsuspecting child and watch them struggle to eat their breakfast with a spoon that won’t budge.
9. Become a time lord
This one might be stretching the April Fool’s rules a bit, but if you accidentally set your clocks forward by another hour to get the kids into bed early this evening, we’ll turn a blind eye.
10. Send them for a long stand
If your little ones are old enough to be sent next door to a friendly neighbour, perhaps you could ask them to go round for a long stand? Or, if you need some redecorating doing, see if your child would be willing to go and fetch you some tartan paint?
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