Fun April Fools' Pranks That Kids Will Love While Social Distancing

April 1, 2020
RADIO.COM Staff
Categories: 
coronavirus

Just because families across the world are social distancing at home, doesn’t mean April Fools Day is canceled.

More than ever kids need uplifting entertainment and parents need a way to engage their kids.

There’s no better (mostly harmless) entertainment than making your sister scream at a fake spider or your brother take a big bite of mashed potato sundae.

Here are a few great April Fools pranks kids and parents can play at home.

Swap out family photos

If you’ve got a printer handy, your kids can print off a bunch of photos of celebrities, cartoon characters, or just embarrassing family pics, then swap them into picture frames all over the house. Other family members will probably still stumble across them for days or weeks afterward.

A bowl of ice cream topped with sprinkles
Mashed potatoes look a lot like ice cream Photo credit pamela_d_mcadams / Getty Images

Make a potato sundae

Mashed potatoes make a great stand-in for ice cream in an un-sweet surprise sundae. Just top with the usual fixings like chocolate syrup and a cherry, then deliver it to an unsuspecting family member.

A man looks confused at his phone
Autocorrect can be even more annoying Photo credit fizkes / Getty Images

Hijack autocorrect

Many smartphones have features that allow users to automatically replace certain words with others. Go into the autocorrect settings on someone’s phone and set up corrections for common phrases like “hi” to be replaced with “I like iguanas” or any other phrase of your choosing.

Set up a water cup minefield

Classic pranks never get old. Fill as many cups as you can find with water and gently set them up across the floor of a bedroom. When the victim discovers their room, they’ll have to pick the cups up one by one. That should fill up an afternoon.

A woman looks at her computer in shock
Random email newsletters are the worst Photo credit fizkes / Getty Images

Sign up a pal for a few email newsletters

If there’s no one at home to prank, help your kids prank a friend by signing them up for as many random digital newsletters as you can find. All you need is their email address and a little research time. Soon they’ll be getting random messages about cats, Eastern European foods, and go-karts.

A kid holds out a fake spider
The classic fake spider Photo credit shironosov / Getty Images

Deploy a fake spider

When in doubt, put a plastic spider in a bowl of food, in the shower or in any other unexpected spot. Then let an unknowing family member find it, Or test out your kid’s acting skills by having them pretend to find it in front of an unsuspecting target.

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Tags: 
Coronavirus
April Fools Day
family