Abracadabra! The effects magic has on kids

As famous magician David Copperfield once said, “By using magic to tell stories that educate, move and inspire. I help people realise their dreams”. This is indeed one of the great thing about magic - it makes people believe the impossible and question the unthinkable. This kind of curiosity is what attracts many young people to learning magic. As it turns out, learning magic is not only a fun activity for kids but one that’s great for developing young minds.

1. Self confidence booster
   Magic tricks are engaging and hypnotic, which makes them instant magnets to attracting attention and make you stand out from the crowd. Once your kids have a few impressive magic tricks up their sleeves, they’ll be overcome with excitement to show off their new skills in front of classmates, family and even strangers! As kids become more confident with their magic skills, their confidence level to perform magic tricks in front of a crowd will grow with it.

2. Stimulate curiosity and creativity
   If you’ve ever been to magic shows, you would know that a successful show not only involve skillful magicians but their ability to take you on a magical journey and stimulate your curiosity. magic is about exploring the “what if...” and dream about ways to make the impossible possible, which is great for curious young minds. Your kids will also enjoy all the fun props and costumes they’ll get to put on every time they perform a new trick.

3. (Re)discover the joy of learning
   If your kids hate learning things the traditional way (anything that involve sitting in the classroom and reading through pages after pages of boring text book) then learning magic tricks will help to put the joy back into learning for them. Magic, although possible to learn from books, involves a lot of physical interaction with people, different objects and environment. It stretches a child’s imagination and problem solving skills to successfully perform a magic trick. Many starts of by learning the basics then eventually customising certain magic tricks to reflect their individual style.

4. Patience and self discipline makes perfection
   Sometimes it’s hard enough to get your kids to sit through a movie, let alone have the patience to learn something new. Learning magic however has proven to be such a rewarding journey for many kids that they are willing to put hours of work into practice to see their skills progress. Famous Magicians such as David Copperfield and Dynamo started practicing magic from a young age that the rise to fame was a slow journey of learning the skills, doing a lot of performances and building up their knowledge and reputation over time.

5. A lifetime skill
   My parents used to tease my brother for shutting himself in his bedroom for hours to perfect magic tricks instead of spending time with his friends outside of the house. My brother never fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a famous magician but fast forward years later, he is now a teacher that enjoys entertaining his students with his magic tricks every now and then. So, don’t just think learning magic is a phase that your child goes through. It may well become a lifetime skill that they enjoy doing for many years to come.

After your kids have mastered a few magic tricks up their sleeves, look through our ActiveActivities directory for a list of fun places they can perform at. This could be the beginning of the greatest magician of a new generation in the making!