[For Kids] Magic Tricks You Can Perform at Daycare or Kindergarten
Kids love mysterious things and surprising performances, don’t they?
When you hear “magic,” you might think it takes a lot of preparation, but even tricks with simple secrets can amaze children.
This time, we’ve gathered ideas for magic tricks that are easy to perform and easy for kids to watch.
When they see the magic, children might start wondering how it works and let their imaginations run.
Let’s incorporate some outstanding magic into childcare to spark children’s imaginations.
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- With Explanations: Easy Magic Tricks for Lower-Grade Elementary School Children — How to Do Simple Tricks
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- [Entertainment/Performances] Ideas for Performances to Introduce at Kindergartens and Nursery Schools—Great for Children and Staff
[For Kids] Magic Ideas to Perform at Daycare and Kindergarten (31–40)
Spoon bending
Spoon bending may be the most famous trick in magic.
Because everyone knows it, it’s sure to be a hit at any fun gathering! Seeing a hard spoon bend with a soft “twist” makes you look just like a psychic.
It’s a simple trick that uses the principle of leverage, but it’s one that really excites an audience! The key is performance—make it look like you bent it with the power of a demon lord.
I recommend practicing while having a colleague watch your demonstration.
A magic trick where chopsticks end up in your nose
This is a magic trick that looks both comical and mysterious: a chopstick pressed against the nose is sucked into the nostril in an instant.
To emphasize that it really went into the nose, be mindful to mimic inhaling air and to show a surprised expression when it “gets sucked in.” Without moving the chopstick itself, you slide your hand along it while it’s held to the nose, and ultimately conceal the chopstick inside your hand.
It’s also crucial to decide how you’ll handle the chopstick hidden in your hand to convincingly show that it was sucked in and vanished.
Magic of Light
This is a magic trick where, when you place an illustration of a lit candle into water, only the flame part disappears as if real fire had touched water.
The key is that the illustration is inside a bag; when you put it in water, refraction makes the illustration inside invisible.
Since the candle’s body is drawn not only on the inner sheet but also on the bag itself, only the lines on the bag remain visible, making it look as if the flame has gone out.
If the inner illustration and the bag’s lines shift while you move it, the secret will be revealed, so a crucial point is to hold them carefully aligned.
Magic that changes origami
It’s a magic trick where you supposedly cut a square hole in a sheet of origami paper folded in half, but when you snap it open, the hole has changed into a different shape.
In fact, there’s another piece of origami paper with the desired hole already cut, layered together, and when you open it, you flip that one to the front to show the audience.
It’s important to stack them so the hidden sheet won’t get cut when you use the scissors, and to prepare a shape that’s smaller than the hole you cut in front of them.
How you hold the paper when opening it—so they don’t realize there are two layers—may also be a crucial point.
Card Theater Magic
Here’s an introduction to card theater magic.
You perform magic using cards, preparing circles in various colors, and on the back you draw a round object that matches each color.
When you cast a spell and quickly flip the card over, the simple circle transforms into an object.
It’s fun to imagine what it will turn into, and it makes for a great brain-teasing magic trick.
If you reveal the secret while presenting it like a story, the children watching will be thrilled.
Starting with just simple circles, it’s also fun to connect circles or add something to a circle.
[For Children] Magic Ideas to Perform at Nurseries and Kindergartens (41–50)
Animal Hexagon
Animal Hexagon is also highly recommended—it’s sure to excite the kids.
This is a magic prop that adds a creative twist to a classic trick.
It starts as a hexagon colored like a desert, but when you fold and unfold it, it transforms into an illustration of a camel.
Fold and open it again, and this time it turns ocean blue; open it once more, and a sea turtle appears.
With each reveal, children will be eagerly wondering, “What will appear next?”
Balloon Resurrection Magic
A trick that’s sure to amaze anyone: the resurrecting balloon magic.
In this one, you blow into a balloon that had its tip cut off, and it somehow inflates.
The secret actually lies in the balloon itself.
Beforehand, you set it up by pushing a second, identical balloon inside the first one, and when you cut with scissors, you only cut the outer balloon.
So when you blow air into it, the balloon that inflates is the hidden inner one.
If you set it up well, the effect looks so natural that even close-up viewers won’t notice how it’s done.