Fun Middle School April Fools Day Pranks

April Fools Day pranks can be a disruption for teachers everywhere. Pranks, jokes, and generally riled-up students can make for a crazy environment. But if done intentionally and well, April Fools Day pranks can also be fun and enjoyable for both students and teachers. Today, let me make some suggestions so you can make this day a success.

April Fools Day Pranks to Pull on Students

Students are not the only ones who enjoy pulling pranks; it can also be a lot of fun for teachers to pull them as well. It goes without saying that pranks should never be anything cruel, embarrassing, mean, or demeaning. Silly things that everyone can laugh at can be fun for all.

Below is a list of ideas for pranks you can pull on your students:

Turn everyone’s desk upside down. Act like this is how it is supposed to be. See how long you can convince your students to use the upside-down desks.
Give slightly incorrect information – the wrong date on the board, misspelling your own name or class name, the wrong page in a book, etc. Be convinced that you are correct and that students are definitely incorrect when they point out the errors.
Switching teachers. Partner with a colleague and teach each other’s classes. Don’t explain to students why you are in the wrong classroom; just begin teaching like everything is normal. You can stop after a few minutes or go the entire period.
Switch subjects. Again, partner with a colleague. This time though, teach the wrong subject (e.g., math in your English class), but act as if this is normal. When students are puzzled, insist that you always teach the other subject.
This blog post, 19 April Fools Day Pranks for Teachers from Education to the Core, has some other creative school-friendly pranks.

April Fools Day Pranks Videos

These videos are both fun and funny. You can show them as a fun way to start class, or you can ask students to do things with them (journals, additional research, etc.).

BBC: Spaghetti Harvest in Ticino
Flying Penguins – BBC
House Hippo– If you don’t want to give away that this is a joke, stop the video at the 0:46 mark.
The Majestic Plastic Bag – A Mockumentary

If you want to show these videos in class and want your students to believe they are serious, grab this April Fools’ Day Pranks resource. It provides multiple-choice questions for each video.

April Fools Day Pranks Websites

These are websites that are April Fools Day pranks for students to check out individually. They are real websites all about fake topics. Have your students explore them and complete a 3,2,1 chart about all the new information they “learned.”

Reminder: Always check internet sites before assigning them to students in case the content has changed.

Dihydrogen Monoxide – A website on the evils of this substance.
The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus – Help save this endangered creature from extinction.
House Hippo Foundation – A website dedicated to this adorable creature.
AFDB – A website dedicated to this mind-control deflection and prevention device.

April Fools Day Activities

Sometimes we want timely assignments to help focus our students’ energy. Here are a couple of ideas:

Use my April Fools’ Day Non-Fiction Article to help students learn the history behind this special day. This great resource contains one non-fiction article and three post-reading activities to assist with reading comprehension and cross-curricular learning.

Have fun with your students with these April Fools’ Day pranks. There are 5 different activities included: multiple choice questions, graphic organizers and a 3, 2, 1 Chart. Students will watch 4 interesting videos about high-interest topics such as flying penguins and house hippos. Then they can answer the multiple-choice questions. Students can also read several different fake websites and complete a 3, 2, 1 Chart about all the new information they learned.

Read a short story with a surprise ending. Check out this list of my favourite middle school short stories. Preview the stories to see which endings you like the best, as not all have surprise endings.

Don’t let April Fools Day and April Fools Day pranks pass you by. Starting this year, embrace this holiday and the opportunities it can offer!

Disclaimer: April Fools’ Day is not spelled with an apostrophe in this blog post in order to make it more easily found by search engines.