Would you like all the children in the audience to laugh and have fun? How would you like the parents, or whoever is hiring you, to be so impressed that they hire you to come back next year and perform? You can have a successful show and repeat performances if you follow my four tips for doing magic for kids.
Children are in a world of their own. To be successful with them, you will need to forget all the sleight of hand you learned. All those funny jokes that worked great for adults won’t work for kids. Kids don’t want to see all your hocus pocus miracles, they just want to be entertained. With that in mind, here is a list of things you must do to have a successful children’s magic show.
1. Public participation is essential
Children love to be part of the show. Include them in almost every trick. There are two types of audience participation. Bring a child from the audience to help with a trick, or ask the audience to stay in their seats and join in by shouting out magic words, etc.
2. Use a magic word
Children always love to think that they are creating magic by using a magic word. Now you shouldn’t use just any old word. Most magicians use “hocus pocus” or “abracadabra”. I’ve had more success using just a random crazy word, like “Penguin” or “I love turtles.” Most people expect some sort of magic phrase, so when you say a random word or phrase, it catches him off guard. Children love silliness and it’s always good for a laugh.
I also recommend that you use the name of your sponsor as a magic word. After all, they are paying your salary. Another great phrase to use as a magic word is “Happy birthday ______.” You insert the name of the birthday boy or girl in the blank space.
3. Forget the adults
At many parties where I performed, there were also many adults. Sometimes almost three to one. Just remember that you are there to do magic tricks for children, not adults. So forget about them and focus on the kids.
4. Use a lot of visual jokes
Kids love this more than hocus pocus. You could walk in with an untied shoe. You trip over the loose cord. As you bend down to tie your shoelaces, you hear a huge ripping sound and everyone thinks you ripped your pants (insert laughs here). You stand up and comically try to look at your butt (more chuckles). Telling joke after joke will make the kids laugh. Be sure to add some magic tricks for the kids too.
Just by applying these four rules when doing magic tricks for kids, you will ensure that everyone has a great time. After all, isn’t that the goal? Time for parents to relax and children to be entertained. So don’t worry about all the fancy gibberish, get out there and have some fun.
