Pranking within a family is fun.

It’s a lighthearted way to connect and express creativity. Anyone who has followed us on social media has seen our shenanigans. The kids prank us and we prank the kids.

It’s our way of showing that we love each other.

But pranking your kids (out of love) walks a very fine line of being funny and creative while remaining safe and uncruel. #parentingishard So, we had to establish some ground rules that both sides had to follow.

Ground Rules for Pranks

• No bodily harm
• No property damage
• No excessive costs
• No being mean (this is subjective to your audience)

There are our 4 simple rules when engaging in pranks with each other and we leave the rest up to creativity.

Next is the fun part! Here are some ideas you can steal.

Prank Ideas for Kids Pranking Their Parents

Here are some ideas of what our kids have done to us or ideas they have suggested:

• Replacing a non-see through drink container with water.
• Writing a silly message on their mirror that will appear after a shower
• Hiding a single shoe
• Write a message with toothpaste in their sink
• Pretend to have gotten in trouble at school
• Moving furniture around subtly
• Replacing toothbrush with a garage tool
• Putting socks on their hands while they sleep
• Move their bookmark around on their book
• Hide all the candy and stage it so it looks like they ate them all
• Pretend to want to go to bed early
• Hide in secret places to pop out and scare us
• Pull all the drain plugs up in the house

Prank Ideas for Adults Pranking Their Kids

Here are some ideas of what we’ve done to our kids:

• Turning their clothes inside out
• Serving them a plate full of broccoli for dinner
• Park your vehicle far away and pretend that you walked to get them (and thus meaning you have to walk home)
• Put a fake snake under their covers (Attempt with caution, depending on the kid)
• Draw a mustache on their face (make sure to do over the weekend and not a night before school)
• Put food coloring in their food without telling them (ie scramble eggs)
• Turn on Polka music in the car nonchalantly
• Crush up oreos and use these look-alike candy worms and eat them in front of your kids
• Wear a ridiculous hat and pretend you’re picking them up from school in it
• Have them get ready for school on a snow day and only tell them it’s a “snow day” when they’re in the car. (or better yet, take them somewhere fun)

The great thing with these ideas is you can use them interchangeably…or at least, most of them!

If you’re unsure if you’re violating a prank rule and the action comes into question, chances are you probably shouldn’t do it.

Do you have any ideas not mentioned or crazy, awesome stories to share? Comment below.

Happy pranking!