Top 15 Games for April Fools’ Day

Unleash your inner comedian with a game that turns ordinary images into a stage for your students’ wit. From dancing poodles to desk-bound cats, every picture becomes a chance to craft the funniest caption in the room.

Just a warning: once this starts, your students might find something funny in everything… mission accomplished.

Helps with: Creativity, humor, and engagement

Best for: Grades 4 to 8

Perfect for lovers of a serious expression, this game is all about maintaining a stern demeanor in the face of fun.

Can your students watch these silly gifs without letting a giggle slip out? None of our staff can, so the kids in your class will probably struggle too.

Helps with: Laughing, smiling, and having some fun

Best for: Grades 1 to 3

In a world of fake news, it’s good to keep your wits about you, and know how to separate fiction from fact. In this game, can your students do exactly that?

We bring you some hard-to-believe tales, and your students need to wisely decide which are true and which are false.

Helps with: Logical thinking, learning some weird facts, and laughing at the absurdity of life

Best for: Grades 7 to 12

Next up, another set of optical illusions.

But this time, most of the images have some pretty concrete solutions (or so your students might think). Is that an image of an eskimo, or a face? A skull, or a woman’s reflection? A rabbit, or a duck?

Helps with: Lateral thinking, squinting very hard, and lots of healthy debate

Best for: Grades 5 to 9

In this eponymous activity, your students must once again sift the tales from the truth. But this time, all of the brain-boggling statements are in the form of short facts (or are they?).

Do your toenails grow quicker when you’re cold? Are there 400 days in a year? And can sharks blink?

Helps with: Applying some logic, getting the truth, and warming up your class with some swift brain teasers

Best for: Grades 6 to 11

Step into the realm of the absurd with headlines that blur reality and fiction. From purple carrots for picky eaters to other outlandish news, decipher what's true and what's merely an April Fools' Day jest in this media-mocking challenge.

And remember, if your students find themselves believing that a genetically modified 'whistling carrot' exists, it might be time for them to take a reality check—or just blame it on the game!

Helps with: General awareness, critical thinking, and understanding the news

Best for: Grades 6 to 10

This multiple-choice quiz-fest is packed with questions on laughter, happiness, friendship, and other things that make us smile.

What was the oldest joke in the world about? When’s the most cheerful time of day? And can faking a smile make you happier?

Helps with: Teamwork, quick question and answer sessions, and learning some zany facts

Best for: Grades 5 to 10

Obviously, if I was asking myself this question, the answer would be ‘very’. But are your students as effortlessly hilarious as me?

In this rib-tickling laughter-fest, your students are given some simple sentences. But here’s the twist: the sentences have some missing words, and your students must wittily fill in the blanks to conjure up some funny phrases.

Helps with: Wordplay, quick thinking, and having a laugh

Best for: Grades 7 to 12

In this joke-jammed game, you take two vaguely-connected themes… and arrive at some much-needed chortles and chuckles.

All of the jokes in this activity have ‘r’ sounds in them, so your students can practice their articulation while they laugh their way through some learning. April Fools’ Day games don’t get much funnier than this.

Helps with: Articulation, proper pronunciation, and laughing at silly jokes

Best for: Grades 3 to 6

Test your students’ culinary knowledge by distinguishing between the genuinely gourmet and the jestfully jarring. From cheese-covered doughnuts to seaweed-flavored chips, discern which delicacies are true and which are the concoctions of April Fool's mirth.

Be warned: if your students find themselves pondering the culinary potential of spaghetti-flavored soda, this indicates their journey of taste has ventured into realms of sheer absurdity!

Helps with: Critical thinking, distinguishing fact from fiction, and expanding culinary curiosity

Best for: Grades 4 to 8

A solid classroom favorite, everyone loves a good riddle.

These tricky brain teasers get your students thinking outside of the box, and each one is accompanied by a quirky image-based answer.

Can your learners apply impressive left-field thinking and arrive at some unusual answers? There’s only one way to find out!

Helps with: Thinking differently, being creative, and getting students to communicate

Best for: Grades 5 to 9

You made it to the top of the list, and yes, we’re ending on a high note.

In this game, your students have one job. Figure out the missing answers in a series of jokes. Sounds easy at first… until the answers start getting a little too clever.

Expect laughs, groans, and at least one student proudly explaining the punchline like they just solved a mystery.

Helps with: Word association, quick thinking, and understanding humor

Best for: Grades 4 to 8

Brimming with tricky conundrums, this game gets your students thinking fast.

For each challenge, your time-tested learners have 10 seconds to answer. Themes include math, physics and wordplay, for a surprisingly-varied combo of tough questions and riddles.

Helps with: Quick thinking, tackling several topics, and frantic fun

Best for: Grades 7 to 11

Tackle the tough questions with a twist of humor! Licking a dirty trash can or the bathroom floor? This game of choices is bound to stir giggles and gasps, perfect for those ready to face hilariously harrowing dilemmas. Perfect for sparking laughter and the occasional "eww," it's a delightful delve into the ridiculous.

Helps with: Developing decision-making skills, fostering critical thinking, and encouraging imaginative reasoning

Best for: Grades 5 to 8

You made it to the end of the list, and trust us, we saved the most mind-melting game for last!

In this wicked game, your brain becomes the biggest fool of all, as it’s callously coerced by some unusual illusions. We cover some classic mind-benders, a few modern oddities, and lots of reasons to be confused.

Expect your students to be shocked, surprised, and probably more than a little outraged. It’s hilarious. It’s horrifying. And it’s hands down our favorite way to end April Fools’ Day on a totally bonkers note.

Helps with: Lateral thinking, brain engagement, and seeing a different perspective

Best for: Grades 3 to 7