April Fools' pranks can be a masterclass in reorientation, confusion, and great humor. They can also be harmful if done out of spite or without consideration of the people being pranked. Strange though it may sound, the best pranks will show a level of care for the intended target.

As April 1 falls on a Monday this year, the opportunity to play pranks on friends and co-workers has an added layer of sensitivity. If most people don’t enjoy Mondays as countless comic strips, memes, and literature have suggested, it can become very challenging to play jokes on grumpy people.

Pick Your Targets

When playing it safe with April Fools' ideas, it’s good to start by being selective with your targets. If your partner doesn’t have much of a sense of humor on Mondays, think twice before hiding all the coffee. If your children have a hard time getting out of bed first thing in the morning, maybe don’t hide in the closet and jump out while they’re reaching for a shirt.

A good April Fools' prank will surprise and, hopefully, be appreciated by the person being pranked. Know the person’s sense of humor and temperament, and select a prank that won’t result in a harsh reaction.

Keep The Cleanup Simple

A good prank idea should not be harmful or cause lasting damage to the target or anything belonging to them, so don’t throw a red sock in with the white laundry or leave spoiled milk in the fridge.

Simple Office Ideas

If you work in an office and want a quick and simple prank, cover the sensor underneath a computer mouse with a thin piece of paper. A personal favorite includes using a cutout of a wild face, such as any facial reaction that has ever been made by Nicholas Cage.

If a co-worker steps away from their desk and leaves their screen unlocked, and the office computers happen to operate on Office, dash over and press Control, Alt, and any arrow key. The home screen will be reoriented in the direction of the chosen arrow. A simple prank, and one that can easily be reversed.

Time intensive? Yes. Wasteful? Yes. Downright silly and ridiculous? Absolutely. But it’s still pretty cool to do, like setting up dominos with less aggravation from the cleanup.

This one can be sensitive, as successfully pulling this off will impact everyone in the office whether they want to be pranked or not. Don’t try this one on anyone that has heart problems or any kind of sensitive constitutions; they might not find the prank amusing.

Still, if you’re going to do it, take care to disguise the airhorn’s appearance by hiding it behind the chair’s column and lower the seat so that the horn will go off the instant the target puts their whole weight into the seat.

Go into the fridge, find everyone’s food, and rearrange the items. Do not throw anything away or steal the food; just rearrange. Then get out of there fast; nobody likes having their food messed with, especially on a Monday.

Keep in kind, most people appreciate April Fools’ pranks that are clever enough to throw a friend or co-worker for a loop, but innocent enough not to put anyone in harm’s way!