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A Birthday Magician Regular user 191 Posts |
I have a great show for the 4-7 year olds and even older children...but 3 year olds and under 4's in general...it is a struggle..and mostly I turn them down. Is it possible to perform a magic show for this age group? I have lots of clapping and kids calling out in my show which can scare younger children. Does anyone here have what they consider to be a great show for under 4's?
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Skip Way Inner circle 3771 Posts |
One of my greatest compliments is that I can hold a room full of 3-4 year-olds enthralled for 30 minutes. The magic is totally secondary to empowering the children with the ability to embarrass you, make things go wrong, gloriously set them right and simply being a bit silly. Not sickeningly silly mind you; just enough to be the adult in trouble.
I also find that the warm-up is most important here. To the children, you're just another adult stranger until you begin doing things like pulling sponge bunnies from hair and elbows, vanishing them and making them reappear in their hands. This gives the children a chance to warm-up to me, become comfortable with me and want to see more. I always do a 15-minute one-on-one, hands-on warm-up with the younger children before starting my show. 3-4 Year-olds are easy! However, 12-14 year-olds frighten me to death!
How you leave others feeling after an Experience with you becomes your Trademark.
Magic Youth Raleigh - RaleighMagicClub.org |
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Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
Look at the Tricky Ricky video posted on this forum. Ricky is an expert on entertaining very little kids.
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
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A Birthday Magician Regular user 191 Posts |
Well I do envy you because for me it is not so easy...i am interested in your one-on-one warm up...can you elaborate...maybe that is the key....as a full time pro I feel I should not turn work away...but I also want to give quality to the mum. I was thinking of calming down and being less noisy and introducing puppets to help with the magic...still a work in progress....under 4's is tough
I have a 12 year old boy so I am totally on top of that age group...I like it. |
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A Birthday Magician Regular user 191 Posts |
Yes Tricky Ricky looks like he does have a good show for the tiny tot's...thanks for that.
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A Birthday Magician Regular user 191 Posts |
Yes Tricky Ricky looks like he does have a good show for the tiny tot's...thanks for that.
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wbzwolinski Loyal user 232 Posts |
Birthday Magician, can you be more detailed in what your concern is with perfoming for under 4's? I am assuming you are talking primarily about 3 year olds.
First off, I do believe that 1 year olds are definitely out. There have been a few at parties that I have performed at and they just can't comprehend "the magic". The only entertainment for them is perhaps blowing 'raspberries', saying goo goo ga ga, and make silly faces at them. Two year olds are pretty much the same although the closer they are to age 3 the better it is. I will always let parents know up front that my 'expert' opinion is that their 1 and 2 year olds will not be entertained by a typical magic show. Now, I can entertain them but it won't be what they may be expecting as far as a "magic show". I do not have a problem at all with entertaining 3 year olds. They are actually a lot of fun to entertain. If your concern is that the older children at the show are going to scare them with the interaction of "clapping and calling out", I find it to be just the contrary. The younger kids see how the older kids participate in the show and "learn" to join in the fun, and that is exactly what I want. I would rather have "controlled frenzy" than silence. My fear is that the children will not react...sometimes they are too shy to participate in my show. My shows are very interactive using the kids about 90% of the time in the effects themselves. It may be a problem if they are too shy or are afraid to participate. You have to have a workaround for that. Other times parents and teachers tell the children to "sit down and be quiet...you better behave or I will take you out of the room and you will miss the show". I end up working 10 times harder to get the response that I want. The more they participate in my show, the more fun they will have. Now after all my rambling, which I apologize for, how do I entertain 3 year olds? Well, I become an 3 year old adult. I get down to their level, physically and kind of mentally. I do not talk down to them but I do get silly...sillier than with the older kids. I am actually one of the 3 year olds playing with them. The good thing is that most 3 year olds have never seen any of the standard childrens effects that we typically do...so it's all new to them. I use: * the coloring book, * run rabbit run or similar effect, * the silk tube, * any sponge ball or silk vanish, production and/or transpostion. I use things familiar and colorful to them. Make it simple but play it larger than life. Everything is magic to them at that age. I don't know if this helps at all. Please let me know if there is something more specific to that age group that concerns you about entertaining them. Wolly
Keep it Simple...Play it BIG!!!
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harris Inner circle Harris Deutsch 8812 Posts |
Puppets, musical instruments (harmonici, glockenspeil, ukulele..they call them my little guitars), and sometimes literally getting down to their level works for me.
Getting back up is not as easy as it used to be. The middle school level is not as scawy to me, after working with them for 10 + years at school. Harris.. still 2 old to know everything...
Harris Deutsch aka dr laugh
drlaugh4u@gmail.com music, magic and marvelous toys http://magician.org/member/drlaugh4u |
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themagiciansapprentice Inner circle Essex, UK 1381 Posts |
Younger children need music, puppets (like Harris said), animals(eg Rocky or real) and nursery rhymes/stories they are used to (Three little pigs.) They need to join in lots of times so a wand each to wave helps. I aslo make sure I do a silk blendo in a zipper change bag so lots can put their hand through / place silks in to the bag etc.
Look out for Terry Herbert's dvd of "Magic for the Under-5s"; it's full of useful ideas. I also know that David Ginn is doing a lecture on this topic at the International FCM Convention in July so look out for lecture notes after that date. Whenever I've been booked for a one or two year old's birthday there have been kids of all ages. If the magic/fun is good enough then they are all entertained.
Have wand will travel! Performing children's magic in the UK for Winter 2014 and Spring 2015.
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harris Inner circle Harris Deutsch 8812 Posts |
I have been working on the
3 blind mice blues since March 1st...(vocals and harmonica) for my summer library programs...where as you know many libraries have bus loads of day care kids in atttendance.... Did YA ever see such a sight? Harris
Harris Deutsch aka dr laugh
drlaugh4u@gmail.com music, magic and marvelous toys http://magician.org/member/drlaugh4u |
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TheAmbitiousCard Eternal Order Northern California 13425 Posts |
Learn to do shows for those ages and you'll be a better all around performer for any show at all. teaches you to go with the flow, be impromptu, ad lib, and creative.
teaches skills like physical comedy et al
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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mr shiney Loyal user 266 Posts |
When saying yes to doing a 3 year old parties you many wont to ask is he or she the first in her nursery to be 3.
Ive done 3 year old parties were they are all 3 going on 4 and the parties gone well and ive done 3 year old parties were only the one who was 3 was the birthday boy/girl and the rest was 2 years and they have not gone so well!!! |
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Scott O. Inner circle Midwest 1143 Posts |
I do some shows for this age group, but usually when I know there will be older kids there as well. Obviously, you need to know your limits and what will work. Personally, I know a room full of 3s and under will not be my best performance. But in a daycare setting I have 2's and up in the room, and all is well, because the older kids carry the younger ones along into the fun.
Do not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest, if you do not give up. Galatians 6:9
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Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
2 and 3 year old kids have a very short attention span, and unless you are very good 1/2 of them will leave the room about 20 minutes into your show.
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
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TrickyRicky Inner circle TrickyRicky 1653 Posts |
2 and 3 year old kids have a very short attention span, and unless you are very good 1/2 of them will leave the room about 20 minutes into your show.
AL Angello. That statement is right on. Any experience performer should be able to hold an audience of children 2 to 4 years old. The way you use your props in the routine is of importance. If you can think like a child, then you can entertain children at any age. I'm one of the biggest kid at the party. I can do that because I have the children respect. There are some very useful information in Skip Way and Wolly post,please go back and have a look. TrickyRicky |
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harris Inner circle Harris Deutsch 8812 Posts |
LOL...
I remember getting humbled during a party at a rec center... One child quietly got up comma open parenthisis unnoticed close parenthesis a few seconds later comma there was a line behind her at the drinking fountain period What to do question mark I got in line explanation point oh what fun it is to celebrate punctuation day question mark Don't you love live theatre...;{{{] Another more sewious time... half way through a library program..the fire alarm goes off... We are on the 4th floor...can you say stairs.... oh what fun it is to celebrate punctuation day?????
Harris Deutsch aka dr laugh
drlaugh4u@gmail.com music, magic and marvelous toys http://magician.org/member/drlaugh4u |
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TheAmbitiousCard Eternal Order Northern California 13425 Posts |
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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JAEIII Veteran user 310 Posts |
Good post. I just booked a show for a child turning 2; with most of the audience being 2 - 4 years old. I've been a little worried ever since. I convinced the mother that the show shouldn't be any longer than 30 minutes. I've been trying to put together some big visual magic to cover 30 minutes. So far I'm thinking:
Coloring Book Dream Bag Paper Hat Tear Mouth Coils Making Balloons appear (and then make a balloon animal for her) Make a rose appear Rabbit Production Thoughts? I love sponge balls but I'm thinking these wouldn't be great for a 2 year old. I've performed them for 3 and 4 year old before and it's ALWAYS a challenge to have them keep their hands closed. I don't think a 2 year old would get it.
Believe In Magic....I do!
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Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
Silk scarf magic goes over well with the little ones.
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
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mr shiney Loyal user 266 Posts |
It helps at this age if you get the mums to sit down with them to help interact and have fun.
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