April Fool’s Day Pranks That Aren’t in Poor Taste

Google canceled it's April Fool's Day pranks today because we all have enough to deal with and don't need any more things to sort through online.  But around the house, you might be able to sneak some fun on your family, and we've got ideas.

I have to be honest.  I'm not big on pranks, and most of the time I find them a smidge annoying and wonder why we can't spend our time listening to motivational speakers instead, and planning ways to make the world a better place.  But the kids love goofy pranks, and now might be the most important time ever to keep them engaged and giggling.  So let's get 'em.

Most of these ideas are silly, harmless, and slightly cheesy, which lets them pass today.  Any April Fool's Day prank involving the internet, public information, or public spaces is in poor taste and the person who starts them is tone-deaf to the crisis we're going through.  But we can still play at home, and this might help cut some boredom.

Mommypoppins.com shared a few ideas, and I've added a couple of my own too.

April Fool's Day Pranks That Aren't in Poor Taste

1. Rainbow Water. If you have some dye pellets for coloring Easter eggs, tape one just under the tap of your child's bathroom faucet.  When the water starts, it will run out blue or purple, or whatever color of dye you choose.

2.  Cereal tricks.  The box looks okay from the outside, but you've replaced your family's favorite cereal with styrofoam packing peanuts or elbow macaroni.  When they dump it out they'll yell, and then you can decide if you'll let them have the real thing or not.   

3. Veggie Chips.  Replace a single-serve bag of chips with baby carrot chips, cucumber slices, or pepper strips.  If you can slice the bag open from the bottom and seal it up again with tape, they'll open the bag from the top and wonder how in the heck the veggies got in there.

4. The Cabinet Shuffle.  Move things around in the kitchen cabinets.  Put the coffee cups where the bowls should be, the plates in the silverware drawer, and put the forks in the spatula drawer.  We're all going a little nuts right now, and what's one more mind-game.

5. Backward Day.  Put your clothes on backward and act completely normal. You could even insist that the rest of your family go put their clothes on “properly.”

6.  Toilet paper in the shoes.  Wad up some TP in the toes of your family's shoes and when they put them on the shoes won't fit.  I know toilet paper is gold and we don't want to waste it, so you could always use an old sock instead.  Same result.

7.  Jelly beans in the ice dispenser.  When they press the ice handle, all of their favorite jelly bean flavors will flow out into the cup.  My girls are huge Jelly Belly fans and this is their favorite trick ever.  They want me to do it every day.

The kids are home from school, a bunch of us are working from home, and if we don't get a little goofy and break the ice we might lose our minds. Public pranks are a definite no-no, but if we can find ways to make the family laugh or at least roll its eyes, it might help keep things a little bit normal.

In fact, I might save a couple of these silly tricks for tomorrow.  Everything is running together and the kids have no clue what day it is, so April 2 might work just fine too.