Many childrens entertainers will involve the guest of honor to do some magic. They wave a wand or HELP and 7 and under FEEL like they had actually contributed. Waving a wand over a bag and something changes and they look and say "Look what I did mom!" They trust the magician when they are told their help made the magic.

What effects can be used with older kids were they experience magic that they don't feel was all the magician's doing?

At say 8 and up they can help but know the magician made it happen because they are not experiencing a feeling of wonder.

I might say a sponge ball tripling in hand is a magical experience but they are not doing the magic.
Are their effects that the magic seems to be entirely up to the volunteer and the magician seems hand off?

I am not saying they must go home believing they have a power but just be not sure how they made "it"happen.

Like if they could have a prop,it is empty, they are holding it they are asked to make a gesture and they reach in and pull it out. They will be able to tell their friends they checked it out, held it the entire time and yet something appeared out of no where. They can take all the credit if they want when talkig to their pals.


So if you see where I am going with this, feel free to post how you make an magical experience for your guest of honor of an older age.

Maybe a very good good and restored rope effect where a kid takes off the knot could have this effect.

Or maybe really give a boy an invisible deck - he has to turn a card around in his/her mind - and then you take out the cards just to see if he really did it.

Maybe but at 9 years, since you have to take the deck back,would they really feel like they did anything or just assume they just named a card
I thought about the cut and restored rope but again. I tied the rope. They are only revealing what I did not "doing the magic"
I am having a struggle, that there is any effect that would make them feel the magic happened due to their contribution.

Don't know but maybe the boy would think differently: "I shaked the box of cards - I turned the card around in my mind - I squeezed the deck hard - and then the magician just got the cards out and showed that the card was really turned around and he did nothing else!"

Some 10- or 12-year-old kids sometimes even believe that the magician can give them bunny ears or so. So if your story is good I am sure some kids would believe they did the trick.

But you are right these are not the perfect tricks for what you have in mind.

What about body magic.

The one I'm thinking about is hands gripped together with index fingers held a couple of inches apart.

Have the kid create a magic rubber band around their fingers and watch as the bands magically bring their fingers together.

Sorry, I disagree with your premise. Starting at 8 and 9, and older, kids appreciate "strong" magic, but I don't think they believe it's really magic, or that they made it happen.

I agree with noland. ("Santa" is for the tiny ones. Kindergarten to third grade.)

I think the older kids all know it is a trick, whether you do it or make it look like they do. They may be entertained - but they know it is a trick. Nothing wrong with that.

I have an upcoming party for a cousin, turning 8 or 9 (?). My plan is to set it up in advance and teach her the mouth coil. So we do the standard 'do as I do' sucker trick (I don't like sucker tricks), but I end up with the mouth full of paper and she ends up with the mouth coil. Should be funny, and she gets all the applause.

Then she will probably blab to all her friends how it is done... but I hope not ha ha.

I think Nolan is right. At this age they are in the middle of thinking they know how it's dome, and wanting to be entertained with the show and presentation. They will more likely show amazement in the trick, then think it was "magic".

If you are looking for something that they might think they had a hand in it, look for some mentalist effects. Maybe something like "will the cards match", where because of the order of the cards, that are able to match the cards for themselves. "Blind sight" by Kevin Knight is also something that you can do. If you play up the "connection" they have to magic abilities because it is there special day, they might think there was the possibility that they had a hand in the outcome.

PUZZLE MANIA by Devin Knight. The kid picks the missing piece that the magician secretly removed from the puzzle.

RNK

PUZZLE MANIA by Devin Knight. The kid picks the missing piece that the magician secretly removed from the puzzle.

RNK

Sorry, Devin Knight. Sometimes I forget my own name.

I have to disagree with the disagree-ers. Adults can believe in magic and so can kids.
I think you mostly missed the end goal. Think of the adult reactions of surprise to the point of screaming when they open their hand to find 3 ball have appear or the wonder when they see something float like a bill.

They might later say it is a trick, but in that moment they experience a little wonder.
These are adults we are talking about.

The amazement is that they don't know were the ball they clearly saw I your had now has joined the two they swear there is no way into their had.

However the goal hear would be to duplicate the feeling they had been more than a just "a helper"
There is no SPECIAL MOMENT , STAR OF THE SHOW moment if all they do is stand there fishing things for the magician. See?

I would like to read how others make an 8-10 year old the star, give a special moment only for him or her.
I am NOT saying make them believe magic and fairies are real but to give them a very special hands on experience.

I could say that maybe a egg bag that they feel around , find nothing but seconds later , without the magician moving pull out the missing egg would bea small experience.

I could say putting them through a suspension but I have found the ones that get cheated from seeing something cool is the person on the board.

Sawing type effect might be but again, they don't really see all going on.
Maybe later they get all hte attention but I that moment,they are ot sure what the fuss is.

However the goal hear would be to duplicate the feeling they had been more than a just "a helper"
There is no SPECIAL MOMENT , STAR OF THE SHOW moment if all they do is stand there fishing things for the magician. See?

I would like to read how others make an 8-10 year old the star, give a special moment only for him or her.
Maybe the answer is that it is to required or no one has tried to take it that far.But maybe some have thought about it.

Thanks for the suggestion for the puzzle. I find with younger kids they don't follow mentalism as it could be a lucky guess.
While a 8 year old might start to ponder, still could be lost that it was nothing more than luck or the magician aided them. I am not sure the moment of magic is large enough for a "guest of honor effect."