April Fools' Day pranks: 12 fun and harmless jokes to play on your kids April 1

April 1 marks April Fools’ Day.

It’s an occasion filled with jokes and pranks.

Pranks can be an annoyance, but they can be fun, too, especially for kids.

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In honor of the day full of jokes, here are 12 harmless and fun pranks you can pull on your kids — all in good fun, of course, and age-appropriate.

Since Easter and April Fools’ Day typically fall near each other, you can add some extra egg hunting and candy surprises on April 1. (Anjelika Gretskaia/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Have the Easter Bunny make an extra visitColor breakfast for a funny morning mealDye the milk blueTry a toilet paper surpriseDo a cereal swapAdd googly eyes to the fruitPlace fake bugs where the kids will notice themUse Jell-O as a juice prankTry bubble wrap, bubble wrap and more bubble wrapTell the kids, “I caught a (Mickey) mouse!”Try a backward dayHave fun with frozen foods

1. Have the Easter Bunny make an extra visit

April Fools’ Day is often right around Easter time.

Rent an Easter Bunny costume for a friend or family member to dress up in and make a visit. This year, April Fools’ Day is right after Easter, but you can keep the festivities going.

Fill up Easter eggs with candy, money, etc., and hide in the front yard.

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Pretend it’s Easter again and that the bunny has come to join in the holiday fun. Who doesn’t love a post-Easter party?

2. Color breakfast for a funny morning meal

A little food coloring goes a long way for a fun April Fools’ Day joke. The options are endless here. Dye pancakes, waffles or cream cheese with food coloring. Split up the batter for as many colors as you want to create.

And there’s always the classic green eggs and ham.

3. Dye the milk blue

Blue milk is another easy April Fools’ Day prank that can be done with food coloring.

Blue milk is a popular snack at “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” at Disney. You can bring the creation home by adding food coloring to your child’s milk. (Patrick Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Add food coloring to a glass of milk for the kids to drink or dye the milk in their cereal.

4. Try a toilet paper surprise

Take your toilet paper from your bathroom and unravel it slightly. You can write a message on the paper or even draw a spider for a spooky surprise. Then, write “APRIL FOOLS” in big letters across the paper.

If you want to take it to the next level, there is “no rip” toilet paper sold on Amazon, which may be a funny prank to play on your older kids. Be prepared for them to call out to you for another roll, though.

5. Do a cereal swap

Take a box of sugary cereal of your choosing — and swap the bag with a healthy cereal.

On April Fools’ Day, you could take a box of sugary cereal of your choosing — and swap the bag with a healthy cereal. (iStock)

6. Add googly eyes to the fruit

This works best with bigger fruits like apples and oranges.

Gather some fruit and stick on googly eyes.

When your kids open the fridge, they will be greeted by fruit with a face. If you want to get really into the silly faces, stick on string in place of a smile or hair.

7. Place fake bugs where the kids will notice them

Creepy crawlies everywhere are sure to make the kids jump. Put them on the counter, on the arm of the couch or other places they might notice them.

Be sure to choose the plastic ones so that they know they’re not real.

8. Use Jell-O as a juice prank

If you fill a cup with Jello, it looks similar to a cup of juice.

Jell-O bears a striking resemblance to juice when it’s made in a cup. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Make Jell-O and add it to one of the kid’s cups.

Place a straw into the Jello before it hardens.

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When your kids go to take a sip, they will be met with solid juice. The best part about this one is they get to enjoy a nice dessert. So, you won’t have to feel too guilty about the prank.

9. Use bubble wrap, bubble wrap and more bubble wrap

Hide some bubble wrap around the house under rugs for the kids to walk on.

Watch them dance around the rug once they realize there is bubble wrap to pop and play with. Win, win!

10. Tell the kids, ‘I caught a (Mickey) mouse!’

This one falls into the classic prank category along with whoopee cushions and filling a salt shaker with sugar, but it’s still a good one.

Pretend you have a mouse caught under a bowl. You’ll have to extend your acting skills for this one and pretend there’s a mouse moving around below the bowl.

Pretend you have a mouse caught under a bowl. When your child approaches, lift up the bowl to reveal a Mickey Mouse toy instead. (Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

When you lift the bowl, your child will be surprised with a Mickey Mouse toy.

This prank will leave your child relieved.

Gift him or her a new toy and all will be well.

11. Try a backward day 

This is an easy prank you can pull on your little ones for April Fools’ Day.

Put your clothes on backward the morning of April 1, and when your child questions your interesting outfit, pretend everything is completely normal.

This is sure to get some laughs from your kids.

12. Have fun with frozen foods 

Before you go to bed the night before April Fools’ Day, place a cup of juice and a bowl of cereal in the freezer.

When you get your kids breakfast in the morning, their cereal will look completely normal, but when they dig in, they’ll quickly realize their meal is frozen solid.

After completing this joke, serve up a yummy (unfrozen) breakfast.

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.

Ashlyn Messier is a writer for Fox News Digital. 

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