Simple magic tricks that delight kids: surprising to watch and make you want to try them yourself.
I’ve gathered a bunch of kid-pleasing magic tricks that are perfect for a quick performance! Children in kindergartens, daycare centers, and elementary schools all love magic.
Some kids watch intently, some want to know the secret, and others are so amazed they ask you to do it again—there are all kinds of reactions.
In this article, assuming the goal is to delight children, I’ll introduce a variety of tricks—from ones that are truly simple and over in a flash to those that require a bit of setup.
Master them and be sure to perform them in front of the kids!
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Simple magic tricks that delight kids: surprising to watch and fun to try (51–60)
Disposable chopstick magic
It’s a magic trick where a single disposable chopstick won’t fall from your hand.
The nice thing about this trick is that it addresses, one by one, the methods kids are likely to suspect, dispelling each doubt.
When you see the explanation, it makes sense—but if you don’t know the secret, I think you’ll be amazed!
Flying card
The “Flying Card,” which is also sold as a product, is a magic trick where a card taken from your pocket freely flies through the air without falling to the floor! Most adults will probably catch on, but in fact, this trick uses a very thin thread connecting the playing card to the performer’s ear.
When performing for adults, you need to include actions that show they’re not connected, so it’s not ideal—but it’s a surefire crowd-pleaser for kids.
It’s also something you can make yourself with a deck of cards and some thread, so give it a try!
Magic where legs disappear
It’s a magic trick where you cover your feet with a black cloth, give a signal, and when you lift the cloth, the feet that should be there have vanished.
The key point is the angle at which you show the gaps in the cloth, and the mechanism is simple: you’re just moving your feet to a position where they can’t be seen.
You place your weight on the leg pulled back, lift the other leg up, and keep your body position unchanged, so your ability to maintain posture is tested.
Let’s proceed while balancing mystery and ease: figure out how low you can lower your foot to make it look like it has disappeared.
A 500-yen coin instantly turns into a 100-yen coin.
No blinking—this is a coin magic trick you can do in a split second.
The gimmick is crucial, so make sure you prepare carefully.
First, get a 500-yen coin and a 100-yen coin.
Attach a strong, thin neodymium magnet to the back of the 500-yen coin using double-sided tape.
Also, stick another neodymium magnet to your hand with double-sided tape.
Once that’s done, you’re ready.
Secretly place the 100-yen coin beneath the 500-yen coin in advance.
Then, wave the hand with the magnet over the 500-yen coin…
and in an instant, the 500-yen coin turns into a 100-yen coin.
After performing, quickly and discreetly clean up so the method isn’t exposed.
Easy magic tricks that delight kids: surprising to watch and fun to try (61–70)
The Chip Star box swaps places with the box inside the bag.
Let’s try a magic trick using empty Chip Star containers! All you need is an empty container of Lightly Salted flavor, an empty container of Seaweed & Salt flavor, and a paper bag that fits them.
Put both containers in the bag, take out the Lightly Salted one, and hide it behind the bag.
Then—although you supposedly took out the Lightly Salted flavor—it appears to have turned into Seaweed & Salt, and inside the bag there’s the Lightly Salted one.
It’s a swapping trick.
The secret is that both containers are actually Lightly Salted; one of them is just a half-and-half gimmick that makes it look like Seaweed & Salt from one side.
Practice your presentation to make it convincing!
A magic trick that turns a round hole in a newspaper into a square one
It’s a magic trick where you fold a newspaper, make a circular cut with scissors, and when you unfold it, the hole turns out to be square instead of round.
In reality, a second sheet of newspaper—already prepared with a square hole—is layered over the one being cut on the spot, and it’s cleverly concealed.
How you fold the square-hole newspaper is also crucial; fold it in a way that keeps the scissors from touching that side.
To avoid revealing that there are two layers, choose a newspaper that looks very similar and align them snugly so there are no gaps.
A box that doesn’t spill even when you put in a cup filled with water
This magic trick makes you want to cover your eyes, because you can clearly see that if you place a glass of water inside a box with a picture of a glass showing which way is up, then pick up the box and turn it upside down, the water should spill.
Yet somehow, not a single drop falls.
You can even return the box to its original position and take out the glass from inside—and of course the water remains in the glass without spilling a drop.
The trick is actually simple: there’s another box inside the box, with a base for the glass that has a rod through it.
When you place the water-filled glass on this base, the base rotates so that the glass itself doesn’t change orientation.
Just be careful not to confuse the vertical and horizontal directions when moving the box!