April Fool’s Day Fun with Preschoolers
Have your preschooler rolling with laughter when you try some of these April Fool’s Day activities. Try a few, or try all 10!
Why Do April Fool’s Day Activities
Critical Thinking Practice
Learning how things work in the world is a big job for preschoolers. There is so much to discover and figure out.
By providing opportunities for critical thinking (like how April Fool’s Day activities work), you are helping to boost your little ones’ understanding of what is real and what is a trick!
There is also the bonus that April Fool’s Day activities will have your little one in fits of laughter all day.
Encourages Creativity
After your little one has the first of the April Fool’s Day activities played on them, they may want to try their own tricks.
Coming up with harmless tricks requires imagination and creativity.
Teaches Humor and Empathy
Showing preschoolers that there are ways to kindly play pranks as long as the people getting the April Fool’s Day activities played on them are on board is an excellent way to spread humor and empathy.
Emotional development is a big part of preschool. Humor and empathy are both critical to emotional development.
Safe and Easy Fun
April Fool’s Day activities are a simple and fun way to bring joy to your little ones.
This article may contain affiliate links to products that may help you when homeschooling preschool.
April Fool’s Day Activities To Do
Color Changing Food
Add a few drops of food coloring to the bottom of the bowl before adding breakfast food (yogurt, oatmeal, cereal). Let your little one mix their breakfast and see it change colors before their eyes.
Try serving it with a cup of gelatin juice (see how below).
Pom Pom Shoes
Stuff your preschooler’s shoes with pom-poms. They are sure to get a kick out of it.
To be a bit more sly, stuff the pom poms only in the toe of the shoes. It will seem like their shoes shrunk overnight.
“Eye” Am Watching You
Grab a pack of craft googly eyes and get to work putting them on everything. Nothing is safe from googly eyes– fruit, the milk jug, and even the eggs!
Gelatin Juice
Whip up some fruit-flavored gelatin packs as the box instructs. Instead of pouring the gelatin into a bowl or cake pan, pour it into your little one’s cup. Add a straw to the cup, then let the gelatin set overnight.
At breakfast, pull the glass of ‘juice’ out and watch as your little one tries to drink it.
Brownies (Brown Es)
Using brown construction paper, cut out uppercase letter Es. Add them to a bowl or plate and serve up some ‘brownies’ for dessert.
You may want to have some real brownies on hand to avoid some tears. 😉
Doughnut Seeds
Grab a tiny envelope like the one seeds come in, and add a label to the front that says ‘doughnut seeds.’ Put a circle-shaped cereal inside the envelope.
Meal Reverse
Instead of starting the day with breakfast, have dinner for breakfast. Then you can have breakfast for dinner.
Meatloaf Cupcakes
Create cupcakes that are actually meatloaf. Make your favorite meatloaf recipe, but put it in a cupcake pan instead of a loaf. You’ll want to reduce the cooking time by a few minutes.
Whip up some mashed potato ‘frosting’ and pipe it onto the cooled meatloaf cupcakes.
Spilled Milk
Pour some liquid glue on the glossy side of a piece of parchment paper. Let it dry for a day or so. When fully dry, peel it off the parchment and place it where you want the trick to take place. Add a cup that spilled over next to it to make it more believable.
Note: The top layer of glue will dry before the bottom part, so give it enough time to dry fully on the parchment paper.
Run Away Dollar
Add a fishing line to a dollar bill. Leave it out, and when your little one goes to grab the dollar, pull the string to make the dollar bill run away.
April Fool’s Day Tricks for Preschoolers
Fits of giggles are sure to erupt when your preschooler sees these silly and fun April Fool’s Day activities. Watch your back because they may even want to pull a few tricks.
