Learning Magic Helps Kids Confidence and Social Skills

by Dominic Reyes 1 Comment

Many parents are looking for ways to help their kids develop confidence and social skills. Magic has always been popular with children as a form of entertainment, and now it’s becoming increasingly common for parents to encourage their children to take up the hobby as a way of developing social skills and reducing social anxiety.

The benefits of learning magic have been clinically proven. Professor Richard Wiseman (a keen magician, and regular customer at the Merchant of Magic) together with Rebecca Godfrey, and Dr Sarah Woods conducted a full study on the subject at the University of Hertfordshire.

The team of scientists wanted to study the effect of teaching high school kids how to perform magical illusions, including the cut and restored rope, and mind reading

“Learning magic requires self-discipline, an understanding of how other people think, and an ability to entertain, Also, unlike playing computer games, it encourages children to interact with their friends and family.”

– Professor Richard Wiseman

The team of scientists wanted to study the effect of teaching 50 kids between the ages of 10 and 12 how to perform magical illusions, including the cut and restored rope, and mind reading and mentalism tricks.

Psychological tests, performed before and after the kids had only a single magic lesson, showed huge psychological changes and the areas of confidence and social skills:

The Results:

The kids improved on measures of confidence and social skills and also on sociability. The results were clinically significant and showed that even just building the study of magic into already established self-esteem lessons can significantly increase results.

We Know Magic Helps Kids Confidence and Social Skills

At the Merchant of Magic we get feedback from children all the time, letting us know the positive role that magic has had on their confidence and Social Skills. Kids tell us that magic has increased their ‘playground status’, gained them new friends, and helped to overcome bullying. We hear from parents too, letting us know how they have seen a massive positive change in their kids behavior and general happiness because of magic.

One of the most common questions we get asked from parents is: Where do I start?

We normally suggest getting some easy beginners magic, then as the child develops a ‘taste’ for the style of magic they like best, they can branch out later.

Take a look at any of the magic tricks here: BEGINNERS MAGIC SECTION Any of the items there would be a great choice as a ‘first purchase’ for a beginner.

Best Magic Book: An excellent magic book, that starts your kid at the beginning, but teaches them loads of magic they can do with everyday objects, as well as magicians props is The Mark Wilson Magic Course

Best Magic Tricks DVD: A great starting DVD which teaches a range of great card tricks, as well as the fundamentals of sleight of hand with cards is this one: Born To Perform Card Magic

Best Magic Set: For a general magic set that will teach a range of items: The Platinum Magic Set

Best Instant Download Tutorial: If you want to start learning right away. This instant download video is a great choice for magic that your child will be able to do with everyday objects: Worlds Greatest Magic With Everyday Objects

Also Read:

8 Reasons Why Your Child Should Become a Magician

How to Support a Young Magician

Card Tricks For Kids – Reviews/Ratings

How to Teach Kids Magic Tricks

Magic Tricks for Kids Vs. Magic Sets for Kids – Buyers Guide and Reviews

Dads Learn How to do Magic Tricks for Their Kids

Teaching Your Kids Magic Tricks – How to Support a Young Magician

by Dominic Reyes 1 Comment

How parents can help their kids magic tricks practice

Roger writes:

Our son is 11 and is trying to learn card tricks, he is on YouTube every day, he upset me yesterday, when trying a trick that went wrong, he was very disappointed after I said it had gone wrong a few times .. He went up stairs crying and said “sorry I’m not a magician yet ” … Bless him.. What can I buy him to get him started and able to do a few tricks .. He had two sets of bicycle cards.. Are there special cards and books you have that will enable him to feel he is making progress ..

Roger, you are correct, your son will get it wrong a few times, I still get things wrong whilst I’m practicing, but your son will get there, sometimes it is good to go along with him, even if he messes up, but once the trick is over give helpful pointers. so, if you saw a flash of a card that he was trying to hide, try and explain how he could have positioned himself differently to cover it more or if you see him turn over two cards when he is saying it is one, tell him if you think he could have done it differently to be more convincing. I know you are not a magician, but I hope you understand what I mean there. Constructive criticism can go a long way to improve if it is handled delicately and with supportive suggestions on how to improve.

One thing I will say, is the YouTube tutorials are often taught by people who rush to learn a trick and give a poor explanation that can be difficult to follow, or may teach a trick incorrectly, leading to confusion whilst trying to learn it – especially for a younger person who is still learning the jargon.

After saying that though, YouTube does have some Solid Gold Gems for learning Flourishing and kids magic tricks. Dan and Dave Bucks channel is excellent for learning flourishes with cards, and once your son develop a little, he should definitely check that channel out.

There are a few resources I can suggest straight away that may be of use.

Born to Perform

Royal Road

Born to Perform Card Magic is an awesome DVD that starts at the beginning – how to hold cards correctly – and develops the magician through sleight of hand lessons, shuffling, trick explanations and audience management to be a great card magician. The best thing about the DVD is you get to see exactly how to do the tricks, no guessing, no half-hearted or semi-coherent explanations, 100% clarity on how everything should be done.

There is not a lot of sleight of hand, I perform that I did not learn from this DVD.

There is also a book called the Royal Road to Card Magic – this is regarded as the bible of card magic. It was written LONG ago – but the material explained in the book has not changed from then until now. The only downside I can really say about the book, is that it uses words and diagrams to explain sleight of hand, which can be confusing at times to follow.

Secondly, you asked about cards. There are standard bicycle cards that we use as performers in our working environments, but I too am a card collector, so know a few things about pretty cards!

Some great decks in no particular order are:

Tragic Royalty

Guardians

Derren Brown Deck

Just click on each of the suggestions and it should open up the pages for you to view.

If you think he would learn best from a DVD then I would 100% suggest Born to Perform.

As for the cards – you know him better than me, but they are all fantastic decks I’ve suggested. They all feel really nice and are perfect for magic.

All of these kids magic tricks are 100% suitable for your son, The DVD is really easy to follow along with and is very well explained. The cards are all just decks of cards – so nothing can really go wrong there!

If your son even needs any advice, and you are OK with him talking to us, get him to send us an e-mail to support@magicshop.co.uk and we can help him out with any advice or concerns he may have.

There are some simple kids magic tricks with coins:

Coin Unique

Bitten Coin

For non coin related things, have a look at:

Self Tying Shoelace – Shoelaces tie themselves with a shake of the foot.

Pen Through Bill – Push a pen through a banknote or a piece of paper, then pull it out without leaving any holes – you can borrow the paper

Thumb Tip – The possibilities are literally endless with a Thumb Tip

Raven – Vanish coins and other similar items from the back of someone else’s hand.

There are also a few freebies you can download and let him have a look at, I’ll pop the links to them below.

6 Free Sankey Tricks

Ultimate Self Working Card Tricks Trial

Misdirection E-Book

Duplex Free Trick Video

Turnover Pass Free Video

School of Cool Free Trial

Epoch Free Download

How to Learn Magic Tricks eBook

Free eBook Range

Magic Circle For Kids – Why Your Child Should Become a Member

by Merchant of Magic 1 Comment

Magic Circle is the worlds most prestigious magic club, but you have to be over 18 to join. If you child is mad about magic, and dreams of joining the Magic Circle, there is some good news.

In 1996 the Magic Circle established the Young Magicians Club for magicians aged 10 – 18. It’s an incredible opportunity for young magicians to develop their skills, socialize with other magicians and benefit from the huge resources that the Magic Circle has to offer as they learn their skills.

You don’t have to be based in London to be a member. Parents from all over the country make trips to London with their child to take part in club activities throughout the year. It also doesn’t matter what skill level your child has. The Young Magicians Club caters for total beginners to experienced performing magicians. There are events, workshops and lectures that every child who loves magic will enjoy and learn something from. The club

One of the greatest benefits of membership, is access to the facilities provided by the Magic Circle. Your child will be given entry to the Magic Circle Headquarters in London, where they can access the incredible library of magic books (Over 6000 magic books), watch magic in the purpose built magic theatre and learn about the history of magic in the Magic Circles world famous magic museum.

Once your child reaches 18 years of age, they get a reduced entrance fee for becoming a member of the Magic Circle, so they really will find a lifelong resource for their magic development.

Other benefits of membership include:

A membership pack with a membership card, badge, membership certificate and a magic trick to start learning.
A regular high quality magic magazine stuffed full of advice, tips and articles on learning magic.
Help on hand from the YMC Advisory Team of magicians which can advise your child on any areas of magic.
Access to the best magic competitions.
Entrance to events throughout the year specifically for magicians.

You can find out more about the Young Magicians Club on their website

‘I became a member of the YMC from the age of 13 and it was probably the best thing I did. So thank you to the YMC for all the hard work you do, for facilitating a place of learning and helping the magicians of tomorrow flourish.’ – Troy