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KirkG Inner circle 1391 Posts |
I have a family friend who wants me to do a magic show for their daughter's three year birthday party. So most of the kids will be that age. I "tested" her to see how much of magic she could understand and appearances and dissappearances she followed well. Coins going through hands was bit to much to follow.
I don't intend on doing a lot of coin tricks, but I wanted to judge her ability to focus and follow. My 5 year old neice is much better at following complex plots. So anything in particular that you have found that works well? I am leaning toward empty boxes that produce things, the sucker egg trick, magic coloring book and a few others, but am open to any other tips or ideas. |
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Starrpower Inner circle 4070 Posts |
Don't worry about "magic" so much as having fun with them. Repetition. Empowerment. Do things like dropping something on the floor and not noticing it but letting them point it out. Then do it again. Don't be afaid to be a little dense, a little (a lot) silly. With kids that young the journey really is the show-- the tricks are almost irrelevant.
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The Great Zucchini Inner circle 1347 Posts |
Hey my friend, would take the word, 'trick' out of your vocabulary for this particular show. She isn't following, because she doesn't really care if you fool her or not. Start the show and ask if anyone has seen her, then spend the first 2 min. looking for her. This will make her laugh-look for her in the most random and crazy places.
Have her give you high five and hurt your hand-repeat 4 times. Ask her questions, 'favorite color, Halloween costume, favorite thing to eat', create repoire. Break away wands are great-Blame the wand, never the kid, very important. Pretend to lose the whole audience-2 or 3 times during show"where did everybody go'? Things behind her ear are great-coins are fine-sponge bananas are cool too. Act surprised and playfully upset that coin keeps going there. Repeat 4 times-great throughout show. Act a little disappointed with coin, "why do you keep going there'. Coloring book is great. Keep them involved with process. 'Throw the color from your shirts'. Then let the book bop you in head, when they throw colors. Repeat. Mouth coils are terrific. Topper, pop off wand is great-Tommy James has a ker plunk wand that I start every show with. Love it and good luck |
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The Great Zucchini Inner circle 1347 Posts |
BTW, only ask her questions if she wants to come up and help you, if not, ignore her, and just concentrate on audience.PPick a friend to help-then see if she wants to come up with friend. Works like a charm-On the extremely rare occasion they don't come up at all, ignore her the rest of show. 'Ignore" isn't a bad word. She has made it clear she doesn't want to be center of attention. Have fun
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Dynamike Eternal Order FullTimer 24148 Posts |
Kirk, just purchase The Great Zucchini DVD. That will tell you everything from A to Z.
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jakeg Inner circle 1741 Posts |
I suggest that you watch Christopher T. Magician's postings on youtube. It's full of ideas. A rabbit in the hat puppet has always worked well for me for that age. If there are kids that are a little older, 4 or 5, the younger kids are more likely to sit through the show better.
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The Great Zucchini Inner circle 1347 Posts |
Thanks Mike. I agree, Jake. Rabbit in hat puppet is gold
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KirkG Inner circle 1391 Posts |
Great responses guys. Thanks. I don't quite follow this comment: "She has made it clear she doesn't want to be center of attention." Not sure how you got that idea, by what I wrote. Could you elaborate?
I did a sponge ball in and out of her ear and that was a little "scary" the first time, but then she got into it. She does seem to like to try to figure things out, so I think she IS into the trick aspect, but I totally agree and had planned on the bits or business and being silly. Thanks for the reinforcemnt. There may be a few older kids along, so I will have a few layers prepped for them as well. |
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jay leslie V.I.P. Southern California 9498 Posts |
She probably got scared because a strange face invaded her personal space.
Jay Leslie
www.TheHouseOfEnchantment.com |
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Potty the Pirate Inner circle 4632 Posts |
You do have to be prepared, with this age group, to work with kids who have never seen an entertainer before. Or, (especially if they have older siblings), they can be incredibly precocious. Expect something in-between most of the time. In fact, hope for something in-between....even if you have just a few outgoing kids in your audience, the show can be much more advanced. But, when every kid is painfully shy (even scared), it's essential to break down those barriers asap. Sometimes, you'll struggle to get ANY kids to come up to help at first, so be prepared to go solo a bit longer than usual, or simply go out into the audience, sit down next to a kid, and work a short routine in a very relaxed manner.
A roomful of 2and 3-year-olds who are ALL beyond their years (it's very common here in Blighty), can take you by surprise, and you have to up your game a little. Zuke's ideas above are pretty good.....kids will respond to familiarity....so you can either talk about stuff they know, or repeat things until you've taught them something new. I really enjoy teaching kids of this age a few words in a foreign language, or maybe a little math trick, joke, or something else educational they can take away with them. Nursery songs work really well (Albion Magic provide a great selection of props based on fairy tales and nursery rhymes). They also really enjoy interactive games, so consider that, too. |
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Dynamike Eternal Order FullTimer 24148 Posts |
Potty said it all.
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The Great Zucchini Inner circle 1347 Posts |
Kirk, wasn't implying that has happened-was just preparing you in case it does. It is extremely rare if a kid doesn't want to come up to help, but trying to figure that out early and how to deal with it, was where I was going in explanation
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Potty the Pirate Inner circle 4632 Posts |
Quote:
On 2014-01-14 12:40, The Great Zucchini wrote: That depends very much on the group of kids. In my area, it's pretty common for me to be the first entertainer the kids have seen. Before launching into a "show", I have to get these kinda kids onside. The secrets of breaking down barriers with kids are simple, but essentially, they have to like you. I guess there's an idea for a whole thread: "how do you get kids 1-3 years of age to like you?" Invite their siblings, friends, mom and pop up, to "help" if this means you'll get the birthday kid onstage. With kids of this age who are sensitive, play all the gags on yourself, as much as possible. Eg, use the traditional method for BW wand, where it's the magician who finally breaks it, put the "happy hat" on your own head, etc. Also, remember the familiar stuff, any silliness pays dividends. Bottom line is, this age group is easy, easy, easy. You don't have to sweat it at all, they are simply a delight to entertain, and will easily be wound around your fingers. The biggest problem you're likely to encounter is adults who don't want to participate, so I'd suggest you include all the adults all the time with this age group, at your peril if you don't. |
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TonyB2009 Inner circle 5006 Posts |
If you have worked with kids before take Zuccini,'s advice. If you have not worked with kids before, pass the gig on.
Check out Tony's new thriller Dead or Alive http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alive-Varrick-Bo......n+carson
http://www.PartyMagic.ie |
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KirkG Inner circle 1391 Posts |
I have worked kid shows before, it just is not a staple of my diet. The birthday girl is not shy and not afraid of me. I just wanted to make sure I covered all the bases as most of my "kid shows" are for older kids.
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TonyB2009 Inner circle 5006 Posts |
Then, Kirk, if you follow Zucchini's advice you will nail it. The key thing is to relax, have fun, and over-exaggerate everything. And make yourself the butt of the humour. Tricks are less than secondary.
Check out Tony's new thriller Dead or Alive http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alive-Varrick-Bo......n+carson
http://www.PartyMagic.ie |
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KirkG Inner circle 1391 Posts |
Yeah, I am not worried. I just like to be thorough.
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charliecheckers Inner circle 1969 Posts |
Kirk -
When I first started out with kid shows I resisted doing the silly bits Zucchini speaks of. I saw performers try it and it always looked boring, and not magical to me. It took me a while to realize what Zucchini says is gold. That is because I had never observed it executed the way he does. The key is to pay close attention to his advice in the way you address the audience and interact with them. Google "The Great Zucchini" and you will see he is an authority on entertaining this age group. Reread his post several times. |
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KirkG Inner circle 1391 Posts |
Not to worry. I have been doing "silly" with little kids for a long time. I mean that in a good way.
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The Great Zucchini Inner circle 1347 Posts |
Thanks Mike. I agree, Jake. Rabbit in hat puppet is gold
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