Calling all tricksters! Get ready for the funniest day of the year with these speedy April Fools’ pranks…

Hilarious April Fools’ Pranks

Egg surprise!

on a pink plates sits a blob of white yoghurt with half an orange apricot sat in it like an egg yolk. beside it are some slices of apple cut up to look like chips.

Fried egg and chips, anyone? This tasty-looking meal is actually half a tinned peach, placed in a carefully arranged blob of yoghurt, with some peeled slices of apple disguised as chips! Serve with strawberry jam ‘ketchup’, too, if you like!

Grape hunt?!

Planning an early Easter hunt? Wrap some grapes in silver foil or old sweet wrappers and hide them alongside foil-wrapped mini chocolate eggs. They’re almost the same shape and size, so the winner’s hoard may be healthier than they expected. GOTCHA!

Brrr-reakfast!

april fools' pranks | a white bowl of orange cornflakes covered with milk, with a spoon sticking out

Prepare a bowl of cereal with milk and a spoon, and then put it in the freezer overnight. When you serve it to your victim the next morning, the spoon will be stuck solid in the frozen milk and they won’t be able to eat it. You rascal!

Feet don’t fit!

For a really annoying prank, shove some scrunched up newspaper, tissue or old socks into the bottom of your folks’ work shoes. When they try to put them on, their feet won’t fit. Oh no! Another classic April Fools’ prank is tying someone’s shoelaces together. Naughty!

Jelly juice!

april fools' pranks | two glasses of orange juice standing next to eachother with green paper straws in

Ask an adult to help you whip up some orange or green jelly. Pour it into clear drinking glasses and add a paper or reusable straw. Then leave to set. In the morning, offer someone a glass of juice – and give them the jelly instead! They’ll never be able to slurp that up.

April Fools’ Day facts

Now you’ve got your April Fools’ pranks prepared, it’s time to learn about this silly celebration! Wow your friends and family with these five facts…

  1. 1. All over the world, April Fools’ Day is celebrated on 1 April. But no one really knows how the tradition of playing pranks started! Some historians date it back to an Ancient Roman festival called Hilaria, which was held at the end of March.
  2. 2. This silly day might seem like a time to abandon all rules but, like most traditions, it has its own superstitions. Make sure you play your pranks by midday, otherwise the joke’s on YOU!
  3. 3. In France, 1 April is known as poisson d’avril, or ‘April Fish‘! There, a common April Fools’ prank is to attach a paper fish to a friend’s back without them noticing. Sneaky!
  4. 4. On 1 April, 1957, the BBC released a fake documentary which showed Swiss farmers harvesting pasta from ‘spaghetti trees‘. You can still watch it online today!
  5. 5. Many news outlets and shops play jokes to celebrate April Fools’ Day. So, pay extra attention to anything you read on this funny day – it might not be what it seems!

Tell us your favourite April Fools’ pranks in the comments below!

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COMMENTS

  • Grace.F

    im excited for APRIL FOOLS

  • Riann

    I am going to try that to my annoying siblings!

  • Chipolata22

    I am going to pull these pranks on my parents!!!

  • hihihi

    this is cool i wanna try a prank here!

  • KING Scar

    I´M EXCITED FOR APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • TEHILAH

    ha ha! so cool!

  • Fruitloop686

    I really like the egg prank

  • Luca b.

    I will definitely try the cereal trick!

  • Rita

    I love it!

  • #Sushi Lover

    I already knew the fried egg, and chips one!

  • princess142

    We liked the on which you put paper in your old folks shoes

  • Rahma

    I'm going to try that egg prank next year. Thanks!

  • Alice

    cool april fools i love it

  • Slimegirl

    I love this and I am so excited to April fools

  • 0000

    Love all. Want to try everything.

  • Rooney

    LOL so funny

  • kuiib

    it is a really good website.

  • Lewella

    Can't wait for april fools with these new tricks up my sleeve!

  • lyam

    thanks for the tips my dad wont know what hit him!

  • tommy

    cool thanks this will be handy

  • Rebeka

    great article!!!! the pranks seem very cool and funny! I vas laughing just reading it. Now I'm ready to celebrate! :)

  • Catberina

    I’m gonna use this to my friends!

  • Amelie

    I loved reading this and I'm ready to ty some!

  • leo Hallsworth

    i used all of them hehe

  • Amazing pranks it gave me so many ides too do on my sisterss

  • Athena

    At my old school april fools was oposite day lots of fun

  • Evangeline

    I will do all of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • ruby

    great April fool's day jokes

  • Ameliawarwicker

    I want to do these pranks

  • Holly

    This is a great idea like I the first one.

  • Hannah

    I love this so funny and I eggspecialy liked the fried egg I thought it was eggsalent

  • I said to my dad I got you a brownie so I made I brown E and I gave it to him and he laughed hahahahahaha

  • Abu

    LOVE THIS!

  • Elise

    Awesome pranks

  • Jannik

    I LOVE National Geographic!!! It is so much fun, NOT ONLY FUN.... BUT...... It helps us learn!

  • Chloe

    they were so funny to play on my mum and dad

  • Mckenna

    My favourite April fools prank is putting green slime in the shower head

  • soooooooo funny!!!

  • Me

    These April fools pranks are so cool

  • Ivy Coryndon

    I love pranks and Nat geo

  • joe

    WOOOWWWWWW!LOL .I loved freezing the food overnight so much.I did it to my brother,it was so so sooo funny

  • choco24

    Love it looking forword to doing a jellie drink!

  • Now im prepeared to prank my family >:)

  • BELLA

    OMG SO FUN

  • Slytherinforever

    Absolutely brilliant!!!!!!

  • annabelle

    a bit discusting but i like it . Iread alot of your books and i realy like this website.

  • Frank!e

    I like it I’m gonna use one on my friends!

  • KOALA LOVE

    these are awesome! You do not even have to play them on april fools! I will do "Feet Do Not Fit Prank" on my Mum!

  • Tiger lover

    These are so smart!

  • Eliza

    Nice April fools pranks I’m gonna try the brekky one

  • Bea

    I did the egg one with my girl guides group. It wasYum!

  • Marni

    Those april fool jokes are so good im going to try it

  • Anam fatimah

    YOUR PRANKS ARE SO FUNNY thanks for sharing it with us!

  • Emmett & Aiden

    I love April fools day and love the ideas

  • melis

    my favourite April fools prank was the egg and chips! i think it would be DISGUSTING to eat for breakfast!

  • PoTatO

    these are some good prank ideas!!!

  • Diyanah :)

    I like the article but make sure your pranks aren't harmful! ( your ones in the article aren't which is good!) Have a lovely day! :}

  • Aaryan

    Cool pranks

  • This is a Human

    #so good However, reusable straws would be better for the environment with the jelly prank, so please update this article whenever you can.

  • Scarlett

    I like these pranks because they are so funny

  • Ella B

    Cool! I loved the pranks, especially the egg surprise and the brrr-eakfast. All of them were great though, and I think they were awesome.

  • K

    The pranks are funny

  • Very funny! :) will do to my family hahahaha

  • Kitty cat 4

    Thank you for all these awesome pranks I can't wait to prank my brother

  • Barn owl19

    Best pranks ever

  • Corey

    I can't wait to try these pranks next year!!

  • Melitta

    I like Brr-breakfast

  • my friend was laughing so much he started to cry

  • Bob

    I just put a bunch of grapes in my mom’s freezer disguised as her favourite food Hee hee hee

  • BUTTERFLY 9

    IM EXCITED FOR APRIL FOOLS

  • Mezrin2012

    Love this!

  • Harri and Bakang

    We think that your article is wonderful. We liked the fried egg surprise and jelly juice prank. Be careful while using fire crackers with old people or you will give them a heart attack.

  • Reagilea and henryand

    We really like this article we also like the fried egg prank and jelly juice. But be careful to who you prank.

  • Lereo and Leatso

    We think your article is interesting and funny. We want to try your bowl of cereal prank. We think you should be careful who you prank. A good idea for a prank is to throw water balloons at your brother.

  • Aletah and Lael

    Your pranks are the best. Aletah love the egg surprise prank. Lael love the jelly juice prank. Never prank the wrong person.

  • Unaswi, Anashe and Oaba

    All of the pranks are so good that we wanted to try them. Make sure to not be cruel when you play a prank. We think that your article is amazing. We would like to try the jelly juice. We should always be careful to not do pranks to far because you might get a old lady to get a heart attack.

  • Tlotlego and Lisa.

    We liked the egg surprise. It is a good prank. We liked the article. We should always be careful not to over do the prank.

  • Ahmed and Kao

    We think your article is very funny and cool! I would like to try the brrr-eakfast and Kao would like to do the egg surprise.We should always choose the right pranks so we dont hurt or injure someone.

  • Leo

    April fools is really funny I’m going to do it on my friend

  • Anjali and Atithi the twins

    I love reading and this is the perfect thing

  • Alex

    Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll try them on my mum!

  • Alika

    I like all of your April fool's pranks but just be careful to ask an adult if the prank is okay to prank on someone.

  • Jin Hao and Chelsea

    I would like to try the fried egg and chips prank. We like to try the grape hunt prank and the jelly. We think asking a parent is good advice. And we think it will hurt others if you don't ask. Using cookies as cereal is also a good prank.

  • Job and Ben

    I love the pranks but some times watch out for hurting someones feelings with pranks. I like the egg prank.

  • Nandita and Hazel

    We think that your article is the best. Nandita likes the cereal and milk prank and hazel likes the grape hunt. A good idea is to ask your mom or dad if you can do the prank first.

  • Nabeel and LETSO.

    Your article is good. Our favorite prank is the fried egg and chips one. Try to be careful, try to be kind when you prank.

  • Sujay and Lesedi

    The article was very good. We want to try the fried egg and chips prank. Remember to remind your friends to be careful when pranking. A good idea for a prank is give your father an apple filled with hot sauce.

  • Beth

    Can't wait to try out these pranks

  • Caliana

    I'll be trying them on April 1st.

  • my dad fell for the shoe prank and thought his feet grew overnight then had too pay allot of money for new ones. It was so funny that I burst my head if with laughter!

  • ari

    they are very funny

  • Odeliah

    Great I am soo going to do the cereal one

  • Charlie

    I love April fools, especially when I get my sister, hilarious!

  • Unaswi

    All of them are great

  • Charlie

    I love April fools day it is so good

  • ha

    best pranks i have seen in a long time and i don't think i will be forgetting these in a hurry

  • dot

    i love these i tried the brrrrr-eckfeast on my sister it was so funny. LOL!

  • Tab 15140

    Sounds nice! Maybe try next year. I can pay back my brother. Looking forward

  • Amelia

    They are so funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Maisie

    They are so good I did some!!!!!!!!!!

  • KATE

    i pull them on my brothers all the time im at school right now

  • Mackenzie smith

    I love the egg one it’s sooo clever and I did it to my brother. And he got really mad cause he really wanted real eggs

  • Oliver

    I can’t wait to try these out!

  • Ethan

    I can’t wait to prank

  • Poppy

    A good prank is making a cup of coffee with coco or put bubble rap under the mat

  • Oliver

    Can’t wait to try these out on my brother

  • Sharon

    That is such a good idea for April fools day

  • Jayden

    I think April fools days pranks are fun and good to annoy siblings

  • Sofia

    Those are such cool jokes and I cannot wait to try them

  • ralph

    i got my mum with an april fools but that looks cool

  • koureyn

    i love pranks!

  • veronica

    I love pranking my friends!!!!

  • Quinny

    I love it! So funny!!!

  • slap battles

    good i kinda want to do the orange jelly prank one

  • Rani

    It is so cool and I love the 5facts

  • Boston

    That was really funny i will do those next year. Hahahaha

  • jhaycenw

    egg surprise is my favorite it's really good classic

  • La

    this is so fun this gave me ideas to make more funny pranks my family made me an award for most sillyest

  • Beluga

    They are so good, I’ve tried juice jelly and (egg) and (chips)

  • princess jasmine

    my mom did the Brrr-reakfast prank my sister still ate it ICK!

  • Willow

    I love it please make more. I will use them on my brother. he will feel so silly! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • bobby

    I LOVE April fools day

  • CG

    I really like these pranks there so creative and everyone thinks that they’re real

  • Sanjana

    This April fool Pranks are very creative.Hope to try them out from Canada!

  • April fools pranks are creative, and fun to watch!

  • bob

    they are really good i am going to do them at my summer camp

  • Alexa

    I think April Fools day is actually pretty funny. Hopefully no one's parents ground them for pranking them or a sibling. :)

  • Yasmina

    I think it is funny

  • Very funny

  • NRB

    So good. Pranked my sister soooo hard.

  • Anna

    ngl amazing ideas

  • shyla wall

    i have to bo all of them

  • Eli

    i will do these pranks

  • lion

    So funny!

  • bobby

    thats funny

  • KQ

    I think that they are some great tricks to do on your parents!! Bye! Bye! NGK

  • buddy

    good one

  • india

    i will get me brothers will every single one of these thanks

  • Evelyn

    AMAZING!!!!!! I did not know this.It's so cool. peace out EVELYN

  • Cara

    Lol! I pranked by brother. so funny!

  • M

    So funny

  • meep

    wow cool pranks

  • Mila

    That is so good I so doing some of them! I’m gonna get my brother good next year.

  • Brooklynn

    Love it

  • Daisy

    I did the cereal prank on my dad it was so funny

  • very cool

  • Emma

    I am definitely going to do them on my brother!

  • Sophia

    I think that is really good

  • KL

    I will cross my heart to do it to my annoying brother. Revenge!

  • indy

    i saw those in my NGK mag. soooooooo funny! note to my brother: move out, ollie, or you'll get tricked!

  • April Fools pranks can be a fun way to bring some laughter and light-heartedness into our lives. However, it's important to remember that pranks should never be hurtful or harmful to others. It's always a good idea to consider the feelings of the person you're pranking and make sure they're comfortable with the joke before going through with it. With a bit of creativity and sensitivity, April Fools' pranks can be a harmless and enjoyable way to celebrate the spirit of the day.

  • This was fun

  • Great pranks

  • superstar

    nice

  • Ella

    Funny my sisters are going down they also hate April falls day so that will be easier

  • Mila

    That is so cool I am so doing that on my brother!

  • Rory

    Exelaint but did you know in Scotland for April 1st we replace the milk in the our bowl with slime!

  • DRF

    WOW!!

  • Bella

    Cool pranks

  • Idk

    I love the one where you freeze the breakfast overnight.

  • Koala girl

    oh my gosh these are so funny next year I'm gonna ask my parents if I can do the cereal one on my sister because she loves honey nut cheerios I might also ask to do the juice one on my sister because she kind of likes juice.

  • Lucy

    I loved the grape hunt prank! I tried this, and my sister seemed so surprised!

  • Bax

    Siblings watch out

  • john pork

    i like the easter egg one when you put gold wrappers on a grape and hide them !!!

  • Don't come over to my house if you don't want to get tricked. (My sister is going down next year)

  • syd

    my siblings are going down

  • Anna joseph

    The egg prank was soooooooooooo funny.

  • Lacey

    Realy tricky

  • alexeatimms

    I will try one of them next year

  • Yuri

    Cool

  • superstar

    These pranks are brilliant! I'm using them on my brother! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

  • milky

    sooooooooooooooooooo funny !

  • saanvi

    it is soo fun

  • Nico

    Cool!

  • POW!!!

    my siblings better watch out! (there going down next year)

  • ME

    VERY FUN YIPEEE

  • PreppyPrepGrll

    This is hilarious! This comment is also for anyone working at National Geographic reading this! You guys rock! Thanks for posting this and keeping me with straight A's. Your always my homework/project topic!

  • Arielle

    i love thease i would do this all the time

  • kyle

    epic

  • Best April fools pranks.

  • Daisy

    Cool thanks for the tips

  • lily

    great! i will definitely try them at home

  • Mic

    Thank you I'm doing one of those things to my brother

  • majmahwv

    i love the first one!

  • WYNTE

    The pranks are very funny and fantastic! I love April fools day!!!!!!

  • Miles

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

  • p r e p p y

    fantastic prank ideas! thanks for all the creativity in your magazines and ideas for helping animals, I really appreciate it. keep up the good work, national geographic kids! ✨

  • VOID

    Classic!

  • I love this

  • isabel

    These april fools pranks are amazing

  • Hayley

    Funny

  • PresLee

    i can't wait for more!!!!!

  • AvA

    I recommend the Junior subscription! They have lots of sneaky pranks like these :)

  • Ava

    funny and informinitive

  • Tess ryan

    thanks

  • #Gabigail

    Hi Nat geo these pranks a so awesome my fave one is the jelly juice or the frozen cereal one and also i didnt know that in france they call april fools day poisson d’avril. I am a big fan of you guys. :)

  • Eileen

    It looks funny for my brother

  • James

    COOL

  • Sharky

    I did the frozen cereal prank but with porridge instead

  • surfing 260

    These are great !

  • Rhyd

    Thanks they were funny I pull all of them on my family lol

  • lisa

    this was so much fun

  • Erin

    Gooo d pranks

  • Ada

    Very sneeky!

  • swetha

    these are the best pranks to do on april foools day thank you so much

  • Elise

    HA ha ha!

  • Lilly

    I'm so so so gonna use them!

  • Lexi

    Very tricky heheHehehehe

  • Me

    These pranks are #awesome!

  • fifi

    awesome

  • sara

    hehe i used them

  • zoey

    heheheheheheheheh

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