Tom Taylor - Card Tricks for Kids

Dispelling An Old Kids Show Myth It seems to come up in every thing I've read about performing for children. 'You can't do card ticks for kids.' Each source gives at least one of the following two reasons to justify this thinking. Cards Aren't Familiar While I certainly agree that you should use props and concepts that are familiar to your audience, I disagree that kids aren't familiar with cards. They've all seen them. Most have played with them (even it was just 'Slap Jack') or seen

adults play with them. Many of them have even seen card tricks. I know this because they tell me their brother does this trick whenever I pull out the cards. It usually isn't the same trick. Whenever I introduce the deck of cards, I ask if anyone knows how to play cards, and the answer is usually 'Yes.' Just to be certain they understand the nature of playing cards, how they are all different, the different suits and values and the difficulty of determining one card out of 52, I go over the basics of the deck with them. This is sufficient to set up the magical nature of the coming effect. I have seen suggestions on using alphabet or picture cards instead of

playing cards. This isn't necessary and limits things you may want to try. While these may be useful for some effects, they shouldn't preclude the use of actual cards. Kids Don't 'Get' Card Tricks I guess this could be true, depending on the nature of the trick. Just like with humor, subtlety is lost on children. The Ambitious Card is lost on young audiences, as are any spelling tricks ... but, if they shoot a deck of cards with their finger and their selected card jumps out of the deck and has hole in it, well that's magic: very visual and completely unexpected. Everything a good magic

trick needs. Any effect where the magic is obvious plays well to kids including color changes, torn and restored, size changes and good old vanishes. All are very viable for this audience. Vanishing a fan of cards or pushing a deck through the closed box play big and take up no room at all. Sleight of hand isn't necessary for this target audience, just think magically. If it looks like magic, they'll love it.

Tricks There are numerous card effects that would be appropriate for young audiences, but they may not be obvious, or seem less than magical. What follows is a selection of card routines that I use when performing for kids, they are all audience tested hits. Don't discount them as too simple until you've seen the audiences reaction. These tricks use card forces, so after the actual tricks, you'll find a couple of card forces that work well for kids. Some of these are published effects, and I'll point

you to the original source of the material for the method (since it isn't mine to reveal,) and original effects or variations will be explained. Revelation Tricks As long as your audience knows that locating their randomly selected card is difficult, they will be more than willing to believe in the magic of it. However, I like to make sure that the magic is obvious. One of the best effects for this is: The Bigger Card Trick (Mark Wilson's 'Complete Course in Magic') Effect: The magician claims that he can

locate a spectators selected card simply by feel, placing the deck in a paper bag. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, the spectator informs the magician that their card is bigger. The magician then reaches in a produces a jumbo card that matches their selection. This trick goes over like gangbusters. It has magic and humor, and adults in the audience are just as surprised by it as the kids. Work this into one of your shows. The Birthday Card This is original to the best of my knowledge and great for birthday parties.

Effect: After failing to find a spectator's (birthday child's) selected card, the magician produces a birthday card. Inside the spectator is surprised to find their selection printed on the card. Handling: All this involves is a card force, a computer printed birthday card and some acting on the magician's part. I use the same handling as in the 'Bigger Card Trick,' though producing the card any way you want will work. The birthday child gets a special souvenir and everyone is entertained. A win-win situation. I use the age force for this effect, and the printed card's value is always the same as the child's age

(Hearts for girls, Spades for boys.) Carbon Copy Silk This is my handling of a color changing silk effect with card silks. While I've never seen this done, I'm sure I didn't think of it first. Effect: A spectator selects a card, then presses it's face against the magician's hand while he looks away. The card is placed back in the deck, and a special 'Carbon Silk' is produced (magically or otherwise). The magician runs this silk though his hand a couple of times, and when it emerges the last time, the card's face is printed on the silk!

Handling: I use the color changing silk handling right out of 'Now You See It ...' using card silks instead of simple colored silks. Any method you want to use to handle the switch is fine, though the dye tube makes for very visual handling in this effect. Obviously the card is forced, depending on the value of the card in your card silk set. Most of us have these silks and nothing to do with them anyway. Torn & Restored Tricks There are many resources available to explain the torn and restored handling, but the important part is giving them a piece of the card to use to prove the card

is the same one they tore. Any method you want to use to switch the corner will work. It's just a matter of what you are comfortable with. Torn & Restored Card to Impossible Location There are numerous sources for this type of effect. Effect: A selected card is torn into pieces, and magically restored inside a silk, but only partially. The card is blank, with a message telling the reader to look in a specified location for the selected card. Method: Switching the torn card for the

blank is the real dirty work in this trick. I use the 'Gypsy Switch' explained very well in the 'Klutz Book of Magic' among many other sources though a change bag or chick pan would work just as well. The other part of the 'magic' is the prep work. I use a lemon as the location for the restored card, though a book on the shelf or the 'TV Guide' would work just as well. If you can get an adult conspirator to help you out, all the better. If the card is found in a piece of fruit in their refrigerator, the magic will be mind blowing - this is often my 'big effect' for a party show. It plays great, and is sinfully easy to do.

Sun & Moon Card Trick This is another of my ideas for the card silk set, and it updates and legitimizes a classic effect. Effect: A selected playing card is torn to pieces, wrapped in a silk and placed in a paper bag. After shaking the bag and making a magical pass, the magician discovers the card is restored, but blank. The card's face is now printed on the silk. Realizing that he shouldn't have shaken the bag, the magician replaces the card and silk, and holding the bag very still, makes another magical pass.

This time the silk is back to normal, and the card is restored. The bag is torn open to prove that it is empty. Method: This uses a double walled bag and a card silk set with an extra blank silk. As the props that will be transformed are placed in the bag, they are put in the hidden compartment. The interior of the bag contains (in the order they are removed) the the blank card and card faced silk, and the duplicate card and blank silk. Pull these out in the proper order then return them to the hidden part of the bag. When you're done, tear the front of the bag open, revealing it to be

'empty'. Note: When you introduce the bag, have it folded flat. This will imply that there is nothing else in there when you begin. Again, while these tricks seem simple, they play very big to younger audiences, as well as those of any age who just like magic. There are numerous other card effects in books and commercially available that would work for kid shows. Just flex your imagination. Forcing The Card While everyone knows at least a half dozen card forces, I only use three, depending on how the mood strikes me.

Any will do, but these that I've included will be more visual in a platform or parlor setting. All of these forces require the force card to be on the top of the deck. I always start with it on the bottom, and overhand shuffle it to the top. It just looks fair. The Double-Cut Force In this force the spectator cuts the deck of cards, turning the selected packet over on the deck. They then repeat this process, cutting deeper than before. After the second cut, the face up cards are removed, and the first face down card is taken. This, of course, is the original top card.

The Blind Fold Force The deck is placed under a silk, and the spectator cuts the cards through the silk, taking the card they cut to. Actually as the silk is lowered onto the deck, the magician turns over the deck. Once the deck is cut, the magician turns the deck back over, offering the card cut to. Again, the original top card. The Age Force The magician has the spectator count a number of cards off the top equal to their age, first demonstrating this, then placing the cards back on the deck. By putting

the cards back in this new order, the top card has become the selected number down in the deck. This a good force to use on the birthday child in conjunction with the 'Birthday Card' trick above.

Things To Keep In Mind There are a couple of things that should be taken into consideration when doing card tricks for children, to ensure things go smoothly. Make Sure Someone Remembers The Card This is applicable to adults as well, but paramount for kids. To ensure that the value of the card is remembered, have the child show it to everyone (except you) and have them all remember it. This way at least the majority of them will

know the selected card when it is seen again. Don't Use Face Cards While certainly colorful, their values may be confusing to younger kids. While an eight is obviously not a nine, there is no apparent difference between a Jack and a King. Closing Thoughts There are several commercial effects available that would be more than suitable for children, depending on their age. If an audience is old enough to divide, use the old 3-1/2 of Clubs trick. Anything that seems to be really out of

the ordinary in effect is good. Use jumbo cards where you can. Cards pack light compared to most marketed kid show magic and they play very big. You might be surprised just how big.

Card Tricks For Kids is (c) 2002 by Tom Taylor. Additional elements (c) 2002 by Robinson Wizard, Inc. New York City. All rights are reserved. This document is for the personal use of the reader and may not be altered, sold, reprinted, copied and/or distributed in any form without the written permission of the copyright holder. http://allmagicreader.com