Don’t let April 1 roll by without a practical joke! Be the fun teacher and pull one of these April Fool’s jokes on your students.
Playing Practical Jokes
Getting into the spirit of April Fool’s Day is a lot of fun, but remember to approach it cautiously.
Jokes should be lighthearted, harmless, and not embarrass any students.
You know your class the best. Although the following jokes broadly fit the bit, choose one that will work well in your classroom.
Do you have students with particular sensitivities? Avoid practical jokes that might upset them.
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April Fool’s Jokes That Work in the Classroom
Here are some harmless pranks teachers can pull on students for April Fool’s Day.
Switch the Classroom Layout
Rearrange the desks and chairs in a completely different configuration overnight.
You could push desks into clusters or change the entire room to face the back of the classroom.
Fake Pop Quiz
Announce a surprise pop quiz, but hand out a funny or nonsensical questionnaire instead of a test.
Consider giving everyone an A on the quiz. That’s a practical joke with a sweet ending!
Invisible Ink
Use an invisible ink dry-erase marker to write instructions or messages on the whiteboard that can only be revealed by turning on a special light.
You can also give them a worksheet, but tell them they must write their answers in invisible ink. The invisible ink pens can be your gift to them.
Game Show Day
Instead of presenting a typical lesson, do your favorite game show host impression and present a review as a game show.
Silly Announcements
Make humorous announcements every hour on the hour. These could be fictionalized scenarios or jokes.
For example, “I’ve just received word that everything for lunch will be banana-themed. Banana pudding, banana smoothies, and meatloaf with bananas.”
“When asked why today is all bananas, the food service staff said, ‘Students find bananas very a-peeling.'”
Missing Piece
As a warm-up activity, have your students complete a puzzle (but you hide the last piece). Don’t tell them you’ve done it!
You can give them a riddle to figure out where you have hidden the final piece.
Backward Day
Do a backward day where you do things in reverse. You can introduce yourself by your backward name. For example, “Ms. Jones” becomes “Ms. Senoj.”
Give the students nametags if they want to go by their backward name for the day (but make this optional).
Give students a quiz where you give them the answers, and they make up the questions.
Play a game (supposedly as a review) before you teach the lesson.
Fake Substitute Teacher
Pretend to be a substitute teacher and act out of character for the day. You could even don a wig!
If acting this way for the whole day is exhausting, you can have the sub for thirty minutes while you are in a “meeting.”
Switch Subjects
Teach a different subject for the day and act like it is completely normal (or at least devote ten minutes to it).
Escape Room
Instead of a traditional lesson, have your students do escape room challenges.
Check out our list of digital escape rooms here.
Confetti-Filled Pencil Sharpener
Fill the pencil sharpener with paper confetti and ask a student to empty it, revealing the surprise.
Fake Pet
Bring in a stuffed animal or a realistic-looking fake pet and pretend it’s your new class mascot.
Up the ante by insisting that the pet is alive.
Strange Noises
Play random sound effects throughout the day, like animal sounds or funny noises, to keep students on their toes.
Spelling Mix-Up
Intentionally misspell words on the board and act surprised when students correct you.
Tissue Box Prank
Remove tissues from a tissue box and replace them with confetti or small toys for students to discover.
Reverse Roles
Let students be the teachers. Divide them into small groups and give them a lesson to present.
Let them design how they will present it to the rest of the class.
Fake Pop Test
Tell students you are testing them not on the material but on how well they can design a test.
Divide them into small groups and have them design a test as a chapter review.
They can use their books to create matching, multiple choice, short answers, and true-false questions.
Afterward, they can switch their tests with another group and take the tests for fun.
Good-Natured April Fool’s Jokes for Teachers to Play on Students
Your students will enjoy these April Fool’s jokes because they provide a break from the routine.
Get in on the fun on April 1 with these good-natured pranks.