Get your joke book out and plan your pratfalls and pranks because April 1st, better known as April Fool’s Day, is the time once a year to celebrate by playing good-spirited tricks on friends and family. Funny enough, despite its worldwide popularity, this holiday has a long history but mysterious origins. One of the earliest possible explanations goes all the way back to 1508 when French Poet Eloy d’Amerval referred to a “poisson d’avril,” or “April Fool.” Although, translated, this actually means “April’s Fish”!
Another account relates this knee-slapping holiday to the European shift in the 1580’s from using the Julian calendar to the Gregorian one. For many people, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1st. After this changed to January 1st, people still celebrating New Year’s Eve in the springtime were teased for being an “April Fool.”
However this silly, hoax-filled holiday got its start, it’s a great excuse to act foolishly. Keep scrolling for videos, activities, and crafts to celebrate this April Fool’s Day! We hope they tickle your funny bone.
Family-Friendly Funny Business
Why Being Funny is Good for Your Family
Grades PreK-3
Joking around with your kids can benefit nearly every aspect of their development. Here are some tips to tickle your kid’s funny bone and crack them up at every age.
More Ridiculous Magic | Camp TV
Grades K-5
Learn what a spoof is and several magic tricks in this funny New Victory Theater video from Camp TV. Using humor and creativity, teaching artist Sarah Petersiel shows us silly ways to amaze our friends with magic tricks.
NOVA scienceNOW | Hippocampus Humor: Comic Science
Grades 6-8
Learn about the hippocampus, a part of the brain that stores memories, in this video from the Comic Science series of NOVA scienceNOW. And learn a nerdy hippocampus joke, too!
Activities, Crafts & More
Make a Silly Folded Picture
Grades PreK-K
In this activity, your child can practice cooperation skills. They’ll need at least one other player — but the silly drawing is more fun with more people! Before you play, listen and sing together with Daniel Tiger’s song, “If you can’t do it alone, work together.”
Craft Spring-y Flowers
Grades PreK-3
Make spring-y flowers (paper flowers on a SPRING) and gift them to teachers and friends, decorate your table with them or tuck them into a box and surprise someone for April Fool’s Day.
Best April Fool’s Day Books for Little Pranksters
Grades PreK-6
Read ’em and weep… from laughing so hard! We’ve compiled some of our favorite funny pages from harmless joke and prank books to sweet stories and the history of the holiday. Check them out below!
Fish-in-a-Bag Soaps Craft
Grades K-3
These fish-in-a-bag glycerin soaps are sure to fool your kids — at least for a minute! Make this playful DIY craft as a party favor or any-time silly surprise.
Create a Silly Handshake
Grades K-5
A high five, fist bump, or simple handshake are a few ways you can greet people. But for a special friend or family member, it can be fun to make up a one-of-a-kind silly handshake just for the two of you.