April Fool’s Day is a day to play tricks and jokes on people. It’s a fun holiday that kids and adults look forward to, and it’s a great opportunity for teachers and students to have some laughs and enjoy a lighthearted day together.
As a teacher, you can use April Fool’s Day to create a fun and memorable experience for your students. Here are some ideas to get you started:
April Fool’s Silly Assignments
You can create silly assignments or worksheets that are just for fun. For example, you can give your students math problems that don’t make sense, like “If a dinosaur weighs 1,000 pounds and eats 20 pizzas a day, how many gallons of milk does it drink?” or “ If you have 3 apples in the basket and John takes one, how many tomatoes does Ellie have in her pocket?”
Another idea is to give your students a gibberish spelling test. Invent some long, nonsense words and watch your students try to figure them out.
Example spelling list:
Flubbledoodleberry
Zippitybopplegloop
Skippitydoodahsaurus
Wobblyjibberjabber
Bippityboppityboopadoop
Quibblyflibbertigibbet
April Fool’s Riddles and Jokes
You can share some riddles and jokes with your students. Solving riddles helps kids focus and boosts their problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. Here are some jokes and riddles for your students:
What has a head and a tail but no body? A coin.
What has a neck but no head? A bottle.
I am full of holes, but I can hold water. What am I? A sponge.
I can fill a room, but I take up no space. What am I? Light.
What 2 things can you never eat for breakfast? Lunch and dinner.
How many months of the year have 28 days? All of them! Every month has *at least* 28 days.
Which is heavier: a ton of bricks or a ton of feathers? Neither—they both weigh a ton.
What did the zero say to the eight? “Nice belt!”
Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide!
What’s a pirate’s favorite letter? You might think it’s R, but it’s really the C!
Why did the banana go to the doctor? Because it wasn’t peeling well!
What did one toilet say to the other? You look flushed!
Why do fish live in salt water? Because pepper water makes them sneeze!
What do you get when you cross a dog and a calculator? A friend you can count on!
April Fool’s Speak in Silence
Gather your students together for a morning meeting or circle time. As you start speaking to the group, move your lips as if you’re saying something, but don’t actually make any sound. Watch as confusion spreads among the students, who may wonder if there’s something wrong with your voice or their own hearing.
To really sell the prank, it can be helpful to have a fellow teacher in on the joke. Have them act just as surprised as the children, and maybe even try to “translate” what you’re saying through exaggerated gestures or facial expressions. This will only add to the hilarity and may result in some giggling or even a round of applause when you finally break the silence and reveal the joke.
April Fool’s Backward Day
Plan a “Backwards Day” where everything is done in reverse order, like saying ‘goodbye’ to greet your students and ‘hello’ when they leave or putting your clothes backward. There are so many things you can try doing backward, have a race from the finish line to the starting point, or start with dessert for lunch. You could also have your students write their names backward on their papers or write a message to a friend backward.
Take Backward Day to the next level by inverting the classroom. Have the students teach you instead of the other way around. Give them the opportunity to explain concepts they’ve learned, answer questions you ask, and be the ones leading discussions.
April Fool’s Switched Seats
Another fun prank is to switch seats in your classroom. For example, you can move all of the desks to the back of the classroom and have your students sit on the floor. You can also put name tags on the wrong desks and watch as your students try to figure out where they’re supposed to sit.
April Fool’s Day is a great opportunity to do something different in the classroom and have a fun time with your students. Take advantage of these ideas and fill the classroom with giggles.
