April Fools' is here again, it's the one time of year you can prank or be pranked for no reason at all. This year, have some fun with your kids and show them the lighter side of life with some of these harmless practical jokes.
Crazy pancakes. Keep your wits about you and tackle the day on a full stomach. While you’re mixing up the pancake batter, secretly add a packet of quick drying yeast and watch your children’s shocked faces as the pancakes grow and grow and grow.
Change the colour of their milk. Add a few drops of food colouring to a carton of milk and harmlessly change the colour. Act natural as they pour it on their cereal in the morning.
Coloured cereal. Add a few drops of food colouring to the bottom of your child's cereal bowl. When they pour the milk in, they'll get a colourful surprise.
Volcanic toilet eruption. Put baking soda into the toilet. When your little boys go to the bathroom, it will foam up and give them a bit of a surprise.
Worm in an apple. Ease your kids into the idea of practical jokes by using an apple corer or sharp knife to carve out a small hole and fill with a gummy worm. You can either stick the piece of apple back to cover up the worm or let its little head hang out.
Undie surprise. Join about six of your child’s undies together with safety pins and replace back inside your unsuspecting targets draw. When they go to pull out one pair in the morning, they will get a whole string of them.
Mad hatter dinner. Bake your dinner in the shape of dessert: simply grab a meatloaf recipe, cook it in a muffin tin, and frost with mashed potato. Don’t forget the cupcake wrappers!
Cold surprise. If your children keep their toothbrushes in a cup, half fill it with water the night before, stick their toothbrushes in and freeze. Before they go to brush their teeth in the morning, put the cup back and watch their reaction. (Maybe have some spare toothbrushes handy for after, while they all defrost!)
Shampoo shake. Put a piece of plastic or tape under the lid of the shampoo bottle. Stand back and have a laugh while watching them shake the bottle.
No forks allowed. While sitting down to dinner, announce a ban on utensils. (This is fun for kids who get told to use their cutlery a lot!)
Talking Ted. Put a walkie talkie in their stuffed animal. When they are alone with the toy, have a chat and pretend the animal can talk.
Remember to keep a straight face, watch your back and, most importantly, don’t forget to laugh at yourself and everyone around you.
However, superstition suggests that all pranks must be performed before midday ... so play any pranks after noon at your own risk!