Teachers should have fun, too. And if you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a class prank at the crafty hand of one or more of your students, April Fools is the perfect time to get your own back!
Joking aside, April Fools is a better time than any to have some harmless, friendly fun in the classroom. It’s something that will make you more relatable as a teacher and also show that you have a fun side.
The only problem is that pranking a whole class takes a little more planning.
And if you’re not sure where to start, we’ve listed 14 cheeky teacher April Fools jokes on students that won’t disappoint.
These teacher April Fools pranks on students are fun, creative, and sure to amuse the whole class!
1. The Classroom Switch
The “switch” is a classic prank as old as time – one you might have enacted on your siblings or friends in the past.
It involves switching all the items in a room so that the receiver of the prank second-guesses whether they have entered the right room.
In this case, you can remove all the most familiar items from your classroom or even switch places with another teacher who’s willing to get involved in the joke.
Your students will enter the classroom and, for a minute or two, think they’ve entered the wrong room!
2. Wrong Math Answers
If you’re a math teacher, this is the perfect April Fools joke if you’re good at keeping a straight face.
Simply create a short math quiz with some basic math problems, then proceed to ask the class what the answers are.
The joke? When they give you the correct answers to your very easy math questions, such as “What is two plus two?” correct them with an obviously wrong answer, such as “five”.
See how long you can keep it up until one of your students calls you out!
3. Surprise Exam Or Surprise Homework
Nothing makes students panic like a surprise exam. This is a simple prank that doesn’t require much effort!
Simply tell your class once they have sat down that you “hope they are ready for today’s exam” and watch their faces go blank.
This April Fool’s joke also works with surprise homework. Once your class has sat down, proceed to tell them that you “will now collect the homework that was assigned last week”. Watch them panic for a second before telling them, “April Fools!”.
4. Left-Handed April Fools Joke
Here’s a simple prank that will confuse and frustrate your students for a while.
Simply announce that new research has shown that writing left-handed is more beneficial for learning and cognitive function, then set them up with a writing assignment.
For increased effect, you can make this April Fool’s prank more believable by fabricating a research article to show the class to back up the announcement.
You can limit this April Fool’s joke to a short writing assignment or let it carry on for the whole day!
5. The Unsolvable Word Search
This is another simple but fun April Fools joke that will confuse and frustrate your class! It involves creating an unsolvable word search—a word search with no words to find—and then handing it out to your class to solve.
Base the word search around a non-existent theme for increased effect. You can also announce a prize for the first person to complete the word search, then watch as your students struggle to find any words!
6. Brown Es
This cheeky April Fools joke is hilariously witty and sure to make your students laugh when they realize the wordplay.
Simply announce that you have brought brownies for every student, then proceed to hand out brown paper cutouts of the letter E.
Just make sure to hand out the “brown Es” with a deadpan expression as you watch your students’ faces go blank. See how long you can keep up the prank until one of your students smiles, laughs, or calls you out!
7. Boring Lecture Time
Whether you teach a specific subject or not, there’s always a really boring or complex area of study that you can present as a surprise lecture to make the students groan.
Just display it on the whiteboard as they come in first thing in the morning and observe their expressions!
For increased effect, you could even create a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation and proceed to take them through a few mind-numbing slides to keep the joke going.
The more boring or the more complex, the better!
8. Ridiculously Hard Spelling Test
Fluster your students first thing in the morning by giving them a ridiculously hard spelling test, which you can present as a class activity. This one is an April Fool’s joke that’s guaranteed to stump your students!
You can organize your ridiculously difficult spelling test by asking them to spell long or complex words or by inventing nonsensical words that don’t exist.
Either way, see how long you can keep up this April Fools prank until your students give up!
9. Free Eye Pads
Similar to the “brown Es” prank, this witty April Fool’s joke involves telling your students that you will give all of them free iPads to enhance their learning in class. The catch? After their faces light up, proceed to hand out eye pad dressing.
See how long it takes for your students to catch on, whether that’s in the form of a groan or a disappointed face!
To top it off, you could apologize and then tell them you’ll give the whole class free brownies to make up for it. Then, hand out brown Es.
10. Switched Out Donuts
This April Fool’s joke works best at the end of the day or class using a boxed treat, such as donuts. Simply make sure to switch out the donuts for something that your students won’t find as appetizing, such as carrots or whole potatoes.
Announce that you are giving them a tasty treat to reward them for their hard work, and then watch as their faces light up.
There’s no doubt they will look disappointed when they open the boxes, and you shout “April Fools”, but you can follow up the joke with a batch of real donuts to put a smile on their faces!
11. Backward Facing Desks
Here’s another bemusing April Fool’s joke that will confuse your class as they come into the classroom for their lesson.
It involves turning all the desks and chairs so that they are facing backward, then acting like nothing has changed.
If you want to put more effort into the prank, you can even place your desk at the opposite end of the classroom for increased effect.
Act like nothing is different as you proceed to start the class until one of your students says something!
12. Send Students To The Principal’s Office
To carry out this April Fool’s joke, make sure to get the school principal in on it. If they agree, this April Fools prank involves sending a few of your students to the principal’s office for something silly, then telling them “April Fools” when they return.
Get creative with this April Fools prank by thinking of the silliest things that you can send your students to the principal’s office for, such as “breathing too loudly” or “for making a silly face” at you.
For added effect, get the school principal to lightly reproach the students for the “silly” thing they did!
13. Lose Your Voice
This simple but effective April Fool’s joke involves pretending that you don’t have a voice. Once your students have sat down at their desks, simply mouth the words you intend to say without voicing anything, then watch as the students start to look confused.
This is another fun prank that works best if you can keep a straight face. Keep the joke going until one of your students calls you out, or the whole class simply bursts into laughter!
14. Fool The Parents
Last but not least, this April Fools joke involves pranking your students’ parents!
This is a fun prank as your class will enjoy the idea of pranking their parents, which you can do by telling your students you’ll hand them each a “bad report card” to present to their parents.
This can also be a creative group activity by giving your students the option to decide the “bad grades” or “bad behavior” that will go on the card. On the reverse of the card, you can write “April Fools!” for the parents to see when they flip it over.
Conclusion
So there you have it: 14 cheeky teacher April Fools jokes and pranks that you can use next April Fools.
These April Fools jokes on students are fun, creative, and sure to put a smile on your students’ faces.
Whether April is a long way off or not, it’s never too early to start planning a harmless yet hilarious prank on your class!
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