Why learning magic is so great for kids
Magic is great entertainment for all ages. But for younger children who are learning how to perform it, magic actually helps to build important life skills – as well as provide hours of fun, of course.
If you have a mini magician in your home, celebrate them! As they take pride in perfecting their slight-of-hand talent, they’re also developing a number of social and physical skills. Learning magic encourages your child’s communication skills, as they build confidence and practice the public speaking element – eventually captivating their audience. What’s more, they’ll flourish with creativity – that active imagination will take them anywhere – and the patience and perseverance needed to practice the tricks is no mean feat!
We’ve compiled some of our favourite simple magic tricks to inspire your little Houdini and offer hints and tips to help them in their magical journey.
We’ve got just the trick!
For little ones, the easiest magic tricks and optical illusions are usually done with items you’ll find around the house. We’ve found some super simple tricks that your little one can learn to master – and they’ll love leaving their audience astounded! For these tricks, you’ll need:
Click on the YouTube video and get started!
Tips and hints for little magic lovers
Practice makes perfect
Little ones will need to persevere in getting their tricks spot on and that takes lots of practice! Have them do it in front of a mirror so they can see it how the audience sees it.
Think about presentation
As we said above, so much of the magic trick is in the magician’s confidence to engage the audience – and also distract them when it needs it! For this reason, it’s a good idea to think about and practice any dialogue beforehand. Magic is acting, after all. Children have a natural talent for distracting people because of their sweet, inquisitive ways – this will be an advantage when trying to work the audience however they need to. Here’s a start for their fun narration:
“I have a magic trick for you!
It should be lots of fun.
Pay very close attention,
And guess how it is done!”
Don’t reveal secrets
Kiddies love to blurt out secrets! But when it comes to their magic encourage them to resist the temptation to tell their audience how it worked. It’s all about keeping them guessing! If they can’t figure out how a trick’s been done, they’ll be even more impressed with the show.
Now… On with the show!
Have fun! Send us your pictures on Instagram using #ALittleHelpFromLittleTikes and don’t forget to let us know where in the UK you are Playing Big!
