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danaruns Special user The City of Angels 808 Posts 
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I don't usually perform for kids, but for a friend who runs a group home I'm going to do 30 minutes and teach the kids a trick or two. They are between 8 and 14 years old. What's good for that age group, and what should I avoid?
I can do things like Misers Dream, sponge bunnies, professors nightmare, razor blade swallow and needle through arm. Well, okay, maybe not the last two. What else is appropriate for kids that age? Also, do you have any warnings or management advice for such an audience? Also, any suggestions on what to teach that age group? I was thinking of the jumping rubber bands as one. What else? Finally, I do a trick with Froot Loops that is like the razor blade swallow where I eat some cereal, swallow a length of dental floss, and pull it out with the froot loops attached to the floss. Bad idea, or acceptable? Any general or specific guidance I can get would be appreciated. Like I said, my audience is usually adults, and I want to do a good and appropriate job for the kids.
"Dana Douglas is the greatest magician alive. Plus, I'm drunk." -- Foster Brooks
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MeetMagicMike Inner circle Gainesville Fl 3504 Posts
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Teach them how to regurgitate a live frog and how to push a large needle through their hand.
Of the ideas you mentioned I have used ropes. rubberbands, and self working card tricks for that age group. I think you could keep them busy for 30 minutes with ropes alone. Profs Nightmare of course but also the one where you make a bow and pull it tight and the knot dissolves and the one where you hold both ends but apparently make a knot without letting go. Ropes are great because you can buy a hank of rope and everyone goes away with something. One thing I found when teaching kids of all ages: After you show them one secret they want the next secret. It's hard to get them to practice until they get it right. You really need to plan on entertaining them while teaching. |
Daniel Ulzen.jpg "View Profile") Elite user Berlin/Germany 491 Posts
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Hello danaruns,
two-card-monte is a great trick to teach, even adults like that trick. You can build this trick cheaply and fast by simply gluing 2x2 cards together. In this effect you show a red and a black card, put for example the red card behind your back and when you bring the card back to the front it is black. The trick where a spectators thinks of a number between 1 and 60 and sees several boxes with numbers and then the magician knows the number is also appreciated and can be copied/printed cheaply for everybody If you use the search (key words class or teach in the headline in this forum) you can find lots of threads with other great tricks to teach to older minors. 8- to 14-year-olds like cool clear effects like paper to money and invisible deck. |
Dynamike Eternal Order FullTimer 24148 Posts
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I advise you to try searching on Youtube for impromptu tricks taught for kids. It will not only save you money, but the children will always have it in their hands.
Go to a dollar store to see if can find low cost tricks that you can buy and give to the children. Go to a magic shop near you to see what tricks they recommend and you are comfortable doing in the palm of your hands. There can be a lot of kids in that environment that are unhappy. Do not come to trick the children, but to entertain them. Laugh and have fun with them so they will like you and want you to come back. Some children might try and challenge you there to get you unhappy. If so, show just as much happiness, especially with those who are well behaved. |
gomerel Elite user 458 Posts
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Eight, maybe nine, is still in the kids' tricks range. For preteen up to fourteen, I wouldn't even try to perform. I'd teach a couple of easy tricks. I found it hard to learn Professor's nightmare and very hard to teach it. (I AM good teacher, by the way.) Also, the idea of "professor's nightmare" doesn't mean anything to kids. As MagicMike mentioned, there are lots of easier rope tricks. The Australian birthday party magician, Julian, has several. Yeah, he is corny. You don't have to copy his style, of course. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI8sOZruSCBHjbBcimzcVrw
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Kevinr Inner circle 1854 Posts
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On one of Tommy James Birthday Mania DVD's he does a show for an older group of kids (11-12 if I recall) Went over really well.
Heck, Bill Abbott designed "Chico The Mind Reading Chimp" for adults and college-age students NOT kids. Tons of options that play well fro EVERYONE |
noland Veteran user 350 Posts
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Quote:
On Sep 8, 2018, danaruns wrote: When I perform for kids ages 11-14, I perform routines straight from my adult show. For ages 8-10, it depends. And it's not so much a matter of the "tricks" per se but how you structure them and how you relate to the children when you perform. Thus, tricks such as miser's dream, Prof. Nightmare, sponge bunnies and razor blades might be fine for either adults or children (although I wouldn't do razor blades for young children) depending on the presentation. For ages 8-9, I still include a measure of silliness in my presentation. Not for older kids. If there's a predominance of ages 11-14, I would go with doing a more adult style of performance. If there's a predominance of 8-9 year olds, some of the adult tricks might fall flat (like involved card tricks, or hard core mentalism tricks). But the ones you named should be fine with the right presentation. |
jimgerrish Inner circle East Orange, NJ 3209 Posts
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You are there to do a magic show, so do a magic show. If you want to teach magic lessons, teach magic lessons to those who want to learn. Best time to teach magic lessons is first thing in the morning (9:00 AM or so). If the kids want to learn, they'll show up. If not, pack up and go home. Magic is a discipline; one requires more than just knowing how to do a trick, but needs to possess the desire to excel at it through practice. Magic shows are for everyone. Magic lessons are for those who really want to excel at it.
Jim Gerrish
magicnook@yahoo.com https://www.magicnook.com Home of The Wizards' Journals: https://magicnook.com/wizardsTOC.htm |
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danaruns Special user The City of Angels 808 Posts
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Thanks all, for some excellent advice. Yes, I'm struggling with the division of kids 8-10 who might be on one level, and kids 11-14 who might be on another. That's my challenge. Some wonderful suggestions here, thank you.
While I was joking about the razor blades, I do perform that same effect with Froot Loops. Swallow the Froot Loops, swallow dental floss, pull out a string of Froot Loops on dental floss. Do you think this would be good for this audience? I usually do it for adults, as part of a little "breakfast gone wrong" vignette set to music. Any problem showing this to kids 8-10? Quote:
On Sep 11, 2018, jimgerrish wrote: The gig is to do a show and then teach a couple tricks, so that's what I am going to do. These kids are not magic students, they are just in a horrible situation and could use a diversion. If I can teach them a couple simple things they can practice and do for each other, I call that a good thing. All the better if it ignites an interest in one or two of them.
"Dana Douglas is the greatest magician alive. Plus, I'm drunk." -- Foster Brooks
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Russo Inner circle So.California / Centl.Florida / retired Florida 1166 Posts
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Paper tree( you know from a rolled up newspaper) - rubberband from 1st 2 fingers to 2nd 2 fingers - coin effects - putting 2 pointer fingers to gether and stareing at them cause a sausage to apper between them. Lot? of hand and finger effects.
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MeetMagicMike Inner circle Gainesville Fl 3504 Posts
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Danaruns,
Do you know the trick where five cards are printed on card stock and you ask them to put a clip on the center card but they are always wrong? (maybe someone can help with the name). Instead of using the printed one I use real cards and a glue stick. I either make them up ahead of time or I have the kids construct them as part of the lesson. In spite of the apparent simplicity the trick is a real fooler. I can teach it to a four year old and they WILL fool their parents with it. Older kids enjoy the trick just as much. You can use a paper clip but there are some hair clips that you pinch and they open wide that are perfect. |
MichaelCGM Inner circle Oklahoma City 2286 Posts
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Quote:
On Sep 12, 2018, MeetMagicMike wrote: One can also buy miniature clothespins at Walmart that work great. Great suggestion, by the way, MeetMagicMike. |
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amazingvijay Loyal user N. California Bay Area 230 Posts
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For this age group I close with Hippity Hop Rabbits and they seem to love it.
Vijay
N California Bay Area magician
http://www.amazingvijay.com |
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neocatalyst New user 71 Posts
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No one is answering your fruit loops question. I think it will go well!
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bowers Inner circle Oakboro N.C. 7024 Posts
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After doing professors nightmare I always do ring on rope.
I do the effect taught by Richard Sanders. |
TrickyRicky Inner circle TrickyRicky 1653 Posts
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Here are 3 tricks that I use for any age. The egg bag--Cut and restored rope--20th Century silk.
Tricky Ricky |
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MeetMagicMike Inner circle Gainesville Fl 3504 Posts
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MichaelCGM,
I tried the mini clothespins both plastic and wooden. They tend to come apart if you don't squeeze them exactly straight down. |
TheAmbitiousCard Eternal Order Northern California 13425 Posts
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Just perform your best act. Kids at that age will
relate. Period.
www.theambitiouscard.com Hand Crafted Magic
Trophy Husband, Father of the Year Candidate, Chippendale's Dancer applicant, Unofficial World Record Holder. |
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longdeademperor New user 69 Posts
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Mentalism or mind reading using playing cards goes down well with this age group, as does a Chop Cup routine and various tricks with money (productions, transpositions, etc.).
I recently used Bill Abbott’s Smart Ass Deck with his Princess & The Pea presentation at a birthday for a 10 year old girl and all her friends and they definitely enjoyed that. I added a Jumbo **p E*** P****r Deck to the routine in order to select the !@#$e Card before employing the Smart Ass Deck. |
| The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » The little darlings » » Tricks for 8-14 year olds? (2 Likes) | |
Posted: Sep 9, 2018 01:07 am 
Laus Deo!
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