13 easy magic tricks for kids

These simple magic tricks for kids can be a ton of fun and are a great way for parents and caregivers to keep the family entertained. After all, who doesn’t love a bit of magic and delight? “When I perform for kids, I try to help them feel like adults, and when I perform for adults, I try to make them feel like kids,” says New York City magician Gary “Gary The Great” Ferrar.

Magic tricks are fun, sure, but there’s even more to it: Magic is good for kids, asserts Nicholas “Magical Nick” Pugh, a Pennsylvania-based magician. “Learning magic tricks at a young age builds confidence and helps with social building skills, especially if the child tends to be a little shy,” he says.

Here are 13 easy magic tricks to teach kids to get a budding magician started.

1. Rubber pencil magic trick (ages 5 and up)

This easy magic trick is a classic that even the youngest magicians can perform. By holding a regular pencil down by the eraser and shaking it at just the right speed, it appears to become made of bendable rubber instead of wood. This one doesn’t take any special skill, just a lot of practice to get the speed and technique just right.

2. Spoon bending illusion (ages 5 and up)

If you’re looking for easy beginner optical illusions the spoon bending illusion is a great one. The trick is all in the way you hold the spoon. You press down on the spoon while sliding your hand along the handle, which gives the illusion of the utensil bending. It takes some practice, but this is one of the easier magic tricks for kids to master.

3. Disappearing coin magic trick (ages 5 and up)

A basic disappearing coin trick is a great starter to help kids develop the fine motor skills, discipline and confidence needed to perform magic. The trick is to perfect the sleight of hand so that when the coin is left in the magician’s hand, the audience doesn’t notice.

4. Betcha can’t crack an egg trick (ages 7 and up)

In this trick, kids can tell friends that they are going to squeeze an egg in their hands as hard as they possibly can without breaking it. What the child magician will know is that an egg is something of a miracle of nature and is actually pretty tough when squeezed with the hand. Its shape allows it to withstand a great deal of pressure when it’s evenly applied. They can squeeze the egg in the palm of one hand or in between both hands.

5. Magnetic pencil magic trick (ages 7 and up)

Kids can fool their friends easily with this old-school magic trick. The only things required for this illusion are a pencil (a pen will do as well) and the child’s hands. Having something on the wrist which holds the pencil, such as a watch or a bracelet, can help as a distraction, but is not required.

6. Pluck a coin from thin air (ages 7 and up)

This trick requires a bit of set up and practice, but it will totally wow any audience once the child has mastered it. Using some basic tape, a twig or piece of safety pin and some books for misdirection, kids will amaze their audience as they make a coin appear out of thin air!

7. Walk through paper (ages 7 and up)

With this exciting magic trick, ask if the audience thinks you can cut a hole in a standard piece of paper that is big enough to walk through. When they say no, the magician proves them wrong! How is that possible? Why magic, of course. Well, magic and enough cuts to turn the piece of paper into something with a very large opening. Watch the video example below and then download a printable template for a little magician to cut out themselves.

8. Cup through the table trick (ages 7 and up)

Kids can amaze friends and family with this impressive illusion. All they need is a cup, a piece of paper big enough to cover the cup, a small object (a ball or coin will work) and a table. With practice, the young magician will be able to fool their audience into thinking they pushed the cup straight through a solid table!

9. Levitating card (ages 7 and up)

This is an impressive, yet easy card trick for beginners. It involves creating a special “trick” card using plastic and super glue. Kids will be able to make the card look like it has levitated off their palm into the air. Because a live audience will want to touch the card, this is a trick that is best performed over Skype for cousins or grandparents, but with practice and confidence, kids can even fool a live audience.

10. Make an egg fit through an impossibly small hole (ages 10 and up)

This activity is technically a science experiment, but it looks like a magic trick! It requires a cooled, peeled hard-boiled egg, a glass bottle with a hole a bit smaller than the egg, a piece of paper and matches or a lighter. Make sure an adult is there to assist in lighting the paper.

11. Make yourself levitate (ages 10 and up)

With some practice, kids will be able to trick friends into thinking that they are actually floating in air! This requires some careful body positioning and a good amount of trial and error to get it just right, so it’s probably best for older kids who won’t get frustrated as quickly. See the video for details and 5 different ways to do this trick.

12. The magnetic hand trick (ages 10 and up)

With this trick, children will fool their audience into thinking that a regular group of playing cards are magically sticking to their hand. They will need to make their own “trick” card for this one, but it’s easily done with some scissors and glue.

13. Instantly turn water into ice (ages 10 and up)

This awesome water trick is part magic, part science experiment. All you need is a bottle of water (purified water seems to work best), a freezer and something cold to pour the water onto (a flat ice pack is ideal). After the bottle of water is left in the freezer for two hours, take it out and watch the magic happen! Once you have it working, try experimenting with food coloring in your water to make it even more visually exciting.

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