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Most magicians will agree that performing magic for children at parties is no easy feat. It involves a lot of hard work as well as rock-solid patience. Unlike their mature counterparts, children are definitely not as polite or patient when it comes to watching somebody perform on stage. If the magician accidentally reveals a secret, they will not hesitate to shout it out. The next thing you know, they run off to one corner crossing balloon-swords with friends. This is just one of the harsh realities of performing for a very young crowd.
To begin with, the magician often has to fend on his own from the moment he arrives at the party until it ends. He arrives at the party only to be half-greeted by busy parents who are already filled to their necks with the task of entertaining numerous guests and catering to their needs (not to mention also with keeping the order amongst a group of children ready to pull a tarzan any time!). As the magician attempts to set up his props, a show-hungry bunch of kids begin to crowd around him. They watch him prepare as they assault him with questions seemingly out of this world. Finally, throughout the course of the show, the magician alone has to assume the challenging multi-task of entertainer, soundman as well as usher, just to name a few! *Whew*! It is no wonder that many who attempt to perform magic for children at parties find it frustrating or even give up eventually!
However, regardless of these challenges, many professional magicians including myself have found performing for children at kids parties extremely gratifying. There exist countless magical moments and friendships forged from the most unexpected of places and people. Treasure troves of warmth, giggles and smiles are just some of the little niceties and rewards which you can never quite buy with gold. In my humble opinion, performing magic at kids’ parties is truly the international passport to love and friendship. Perhaps, the reason why we can truly enjoy performing magic for children is because our job scope highly exposes us to children from all walks of life and age groups. With experience and time, this has more or less helped us to develop a higher level of patience and understanding towards their needs, which in effect results in them being more cooperative and therefore easier to handle.
In this section, I have come up with a series of short essays which attempt to discuss the ways in which children from different age groups think and behave. I have also included some tips for performing magic for children at a party. Hopefully, this will help everyone to have an easier and more enjoyable time with the kids at their shows. This discussion is aimed more specifically at helping new magicians and entertainers who are looking to perform magic for kids, especially at parties. The references are mostly made in regard to a Singaporean context. Bear in mind that children from other countries are brought up in a different cultural background and these observations may not necessarily apply.
I hope that my two cents’ worth of knowledge can help those who are interested in performing for children understand kids better and thus choose the most suitable effects to use in their own kids shows.
The articles available are as follows:
Understanding of Children and Their Behavior
Different age groups
If you happen to observe closely, you will notice that children from different age groups exhibit distinct and prominent behavioral traits. Here, I have grouped them starting from the age groups in which they begin to appear in children parties. I have classified these under four categories, namely:
1-3 years old
4-7 years old
8-11 years old
12 and above
i) 1-3 years old
Most of the time, parents who book parties for this age group are looking forward to celebrate birthday events. Take note that the kids are very young and may not take instructions well. Be especially patient with them and understand that they do not focus as well as grown-ups. Very young children simply have a shorter attention span. Occasional bursts of activities are also common. Needless to say, one or two year olds cannot fully appreciate what you are doing, but do bear in mind that their birthday parties are really occasions where kids of various age groups from their family and friends turn up! So be prepared!
Children from this young age group are most comfortable with songs, dance and colorful items. They have very limited knowledge and communication skills, so bear this in mind when you speak to them. Avoid flowery language by all means. Also young children like these feel more comfortable with mummy around, so encourage mummy to sit with them. Squat a little or try to sit down when you perform for very small kids, so as not to intimidate them.
ii) 4-7 years old
This is my personal favorite age group to perform for. Children in around this age group are ever-ready to have fun and they love silly things. Weird objects are popular with them. They are easily fascinated by over-sized hats, magic wands of extraordinary proportions, and funny or cute-looking props. They also love humor and silly things very much. With this age group, try to keep things, especially your story plot simple because they are still relatively young. They can already understand simple letters and numbers. On the whole, they can begin to comprehend and appreciate slightly more complex magic and performances. However, they still may not be familiar with playing cards yet.
This is also the age where children begin to watch popular cartoons and kids programs frequently on television. Popular television themes are well-received by them because they can identify with it. An important thing to note is that children at this age begin to develop a sense of perceived fairness. Be tactical when giving out gifts and prizes. Consider everyone’s welfare. Make sure older kids do not throw their weight around in games where there are younger kids playing as well.
iii) 8-11 years old
Performances get more challenging as we arrive at this age group. Children at this age have reached a stage where they want to be treated as young adults. Please take note: DO NOT to talk to them like small children. Society is changing at a rapid pace and nowadays, children at this age watch programs like The Simpsons and already idolize pop icons like Britney Spears, Zhang Ziyi or some new singer/pop star you haven’t even heard of! They may even carry sophisticated gadgets like the latest mobile phone models which some adults do not even own! Their minds are really more sophisticated than you think. Remember to treat them with respect. This is also the age where difference between the sexes becomes prominent. It is not uncommon to find all-girls parties or all-boys parties. Most boys do not want anything to do with the girls and vice versa. Jokes about boyfriends or girlfriends will provoke them in a cute way. They are extremely aware of the opposite sex. Children entertainment expert David Kaye has made a note about how children at this age group love bodily functions like diarrhea, boogers and the rest. However, exercise caution if you choose to include such jokes or contents in your show because not every parent welcomes them.
This is also a time where children develop a higher tendency to heckle during your show. During magic performances, it is common to hear children exclaiming that they know how the trick is done. Most of the time, this is not really the truth. Do not lose your temper. They are claiming to know how it is done only to impress the other kids who are around, so as to look ‘cool’. Much like those aged between 4 and 7, these children between the ages of 8 to11 are fans of cartoons and children programs shown on tv as well. They are a more ‘evolved’ bunch, watching a greater variety. Thus they are familiar with and like popular culture on tv. Popular themes found on television will appeal to them.
iv) 12 and above
Children from the age of 12 and above can be the hardest to perform for, especially when it comes to magic. They feel that they are all grown up. They do not want to appear silly in front of their friends and will often try to heckle the magician or performer to attract attention. They feel certain that they know how a trick is done. If they do not, they will make wild guesses in order to make themselves look good. If you are performing magic for this age group, it is best to perform more sophisticated tricks, like card effects for example. You have to fool them COMPLETELY to convince them of the magic. If they find any loopholes, you will just be considered a lousy trickster in their opinion.
Take note that boys and girls in this age group behave differently. Girls usually mature faster than boys. While boys may still be enthusiastically looking forward to having fun, girls may prefer a quieter environment or to just sit by a corner with adults or friends to watch the show. There are also times when these children are well-behaved and cooperative. They can and will truly enjoy and appreciate your performance, as long as they understand your tricks, and if you treat them with respect.
Performing for Children
1) Patience
Many problems can suddenly surface in the middle of a children show, especially when younger kids are involved. Children are children after all, so do expect the occasional misbehavior or unexpected crying and heckling. It is extremely important to train up your patience with children and it takes time. Try to understand that many a time, children may be troublesome because they do have their own needs, like asking to go to the washroom in the midst of a show and such. It may be advisable to move on to a different segment temporarily or stop to take a break if things or your tolerance level gets out of hand. Never be mean to the children. Most of the time, it’s their parents who seriously need a courteous reminder to control their kids.
Getting a volunteer to help out with magic is also no easy task. Often you will get a kid who is slow to react or simply do understand instructions. They will often do something they are not told. This may obstruct your routine, but as always, be prepared, and flow with the moment. Take it as a learning experience or a chance to hone your reaction skills. Be professional and do not take it out on the poor kid.
Older kids love to challenge the magician. They often proclaim they know how the trick is done. This is usually not the whole truth. Do not lose your temper because they usually say such things to impress their friends, thinking it is cool because they ‘know’ how the trick is done. They are really trying to attract attention to themselves. Asking them to help out with the trick is one way to ‘win them over to your side’, yet at the same time proving their wild guess wrong. They will usually be more respectful once they realize the trick is not as easy as it seems.
Sometimes, children will say that they have seen a certain part of your trick before and proceed to make wild guesses of what will come next. Again, do not lose your cool at their guesses. Kids have not seen that many things in life. Hence, certain interesting objects or scenes they have seen in the past may leave a very strong impression on them. Therefore, it is possible that they have really seen another magician display similar items, for example cards or ropes and when they see you performing with a same object, they get excited at the thought of familiarity. This is somewhat similar to an adult seeing a tv actor and exclaiming that the actor is very familiar and he has seen him in some show before.
Remember always to keep your cool! If you feel frustrated, try to stop and cool off for a while, but remember to smile. All eyes are on you when you are on stage. Ask yourself: if you were a parent, would you like to watch a magician who is mean to a child and seems unhappy performing for the kids?
2) Respect
Remember to treat children, especially those from the age of four and above with respect. Do not kuchi-koo-talk them. This is a big mistake a lot of new performers make, thinking that children must be sweet-talked and all. Remember how we were children once as well and how we would have liked the adults to take us more seriously then. It is the same before with us as it is now with the children these days. In fact, society and technology are advancing so rapidly that children these days are exposed to the latest fad, fashion and music as much and as easily as adults.
However, this does not mean you have to engage in adult conversation or speak to them in a complex manner. Keep your language simple, especially with younger children! OBSERVE AND LISTEN to their needs. They will appreciate your sincerity and be more cooperative in your show.
3) Interaction
Perhaps, more important than magic itself is the element of fun in your shows. Children love to participate. They love to shout as a group or say the magic word together. Instead of focusing solely on the strength of your magic, take some time to consider interactivity as well. Understand that younger children do not really care how the magician achieves the magic effect. They enjoy themselves more with the ‘bits of businesses’ along the way leading to a trick’s climax. It can be very boring for the children if the magician simply stands at a spot throughout the show, demonstrating his ‘skills’ as is the case of many magicians in the market these days. This is made worse if the magician is not competent in his skills and showmanship. Children look forward to fun stuff like comedy bits and silly actions, so engage them as much as you can. Remember this especially if you are a party entertainer. At a party, everyone is looking forward to have fun, so do not bore them with monotonous detail and routines. |
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