April Fools Day can be filled with laughter or annoyance – especially when you’re a teacher. I prefer to keep things light and fun by acknowledging the holiday with some fun, harmless pranks on my students. Bringing humor into the classroom can be fun for everyone.Â
Teaching your students how to take a joke and how to be light-hearted is an important life skill. This is why today’s post is dedicated to my favorite April Fool’s Day activities to share with your class. These are easy, low prep activities that you could do in your own classroom as well. All of these are designed to be light hearted & not intended to be malicious in any way. It’s a great opportunity to have some fun & fool your students before they fool you!
The History of April Fools’ Day
Let’s start with a quick history lesson before we dive into the activities. April Fools’ Day is a holiday with mysterious roots. No one knows exactly when it began, but people have been able to trace its history a bit. It’s a holiday that’s celebrated in many different cultures in a variety of ways. The media and major brands have made sure that it continues to stick around.
Some historians think that the holiday dates back to 1582 when the Gregorian calendar replaced the Julian calendar. The Julian calendar started on April 1st so those who didn’t get the notice about the new calendar were deemed “April fools” when they celebrated the new year by the old calendar and many jokes were played on them.
Some say the holiday could date even further back to Roman times when “Hilaria” was celebrated by people dressing up and mocking others. The holiday has also been linked to the spring equinox when Mother Nature “fools” people with the changing seasons. April Fools’ Day has many possible origins throughout history but one thing is clear – it’s still celebrated today with elaborate pranks.
1. Spring Word Search
Kids love doing word searches and holidays are the perfect opportunity for them. A themed word search can brighten their day while also challenging their brains. For April Fool’s Day, I like to make a spring word search where the only word they can actually find is April Fools. They work so hard to find spring words before realizing that it’s a trick. You can create your own word search for this day or you can make it easy on yourself and download the one included in my April Fools’ Day packet.
2. “Scratch & Sniff” Paper
The 2nd activity is “scratch & sniff” paper. This one will require you to put on your acting hat for this one & sell it! For this one, you’re going to tell them that there’s a brand new technology that was created that makes the paper we use in the classroom smell after you scratch it. Then, you’re going to pass out a page with different objects that have a familiar scent. They will label each object before scratching and smelling the paper. Of course, the paper doesn’t smell like anything but it’s so fun watching them sniff it & some will even say it smells! After a short while, reveal to them that they’ve been fooled again! I get so many messages and tags in videos of this one on Instagram!
3. Find 4 Fools
The 3rd activity is a fun one! For this one, the students will be given a hidden picture activity where they are trying to find & color 4 fools based on the example provided. Of course, there are no fools in the picture but it’s fun watching them search anyway! After they’ve been looking for a while, I would tease them and reveal that this is a prank for April Fool’s Day. I have included a printable hidden picture activity for you in my April Fools’ Day pack. All you have to do is print, copy, and have fun on April 1st!
4. Classroom Writing Prompts for April Fools’ Day
The fourth activity that I’ve included for April Fool’s Day isn’t a prank. Instead, it’s a set of three writing prompts that you can pick and choose from. You can use all three throughout the day or you can pick just one to use at the end of the day.
The first prompt is “I learned…” This is a great one to share with students after you talk about the history of the holiday. It can also be used at the end of the day as a reflection prompt about the pranks played throughout the day.
The second prompt is “I want to prank…” This is a fun open-ended prompt that allows students to think about who they would like to prank. Encourage them to think about the people they’re choosing and how the pranks might make them feel. This is a great time to practice empathy and thinking of others. They can extend this prompt by saying how they would prank the person they selected.
The third prompt is one where they can reflect on the best prank of the day. This is a great prompt to use if you’re doing multiple pranks throughout the day. (My April Fool’s pack makes it easy to do several pranks with no prep printables!) This prompt would be a great wrap-up at the end of a fun day.
April Fool’s Day is April 1st!
April Fool’s Day is on April 1st every year. I love keeping this holiday fun and light-hearted in my classroom with these simple activities. If you choose to have a little fun with your students, keep in mind that they might return the favor. So be prepared for some fun shenanigans from them as well! It’s fun to see their creativity shine as they try to trick their teacher. Let me know below which one of these April Fools’ Day activities is your favorite!
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