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Hi all,

I've been asked to do half an hour of magic to half a dozen 10 year old girls. Any advice on what tricks go down well with this sort of audience? I'm relatively new to magic (15 months) but my 'repertoire' includes TT silk appearance and vanish, various card effects, a few coin tricks, sponge balls, torn and restored papers and a reasonable cup and ball routine - I know I know - I've got a lot to learn!

All advice appreciated.

That sound like a pretty good mix that you have there and I'd go with what you have. Just practice them to make sure that the presentation is as perfect as possible.

Also, try to work out some patter that's fitting to the girls that you;re performing to and I'm sure that it will go well.

Use common sense, and have fun. Me? I'm terrified of children it started when I was one. So my advice really needs to be ignored on this issue.

The less card work you do with that age the better....

do very simple to understand tricks, nothing like predictions. basic is good, sponges would be good I'd think.

Thanks all.

I'd second the suggestion for sponge balls. A friend of mine brought her daughter to a magic show, and the girl got to take part in a sponge routine, which she loved, and apparently talked about for ages.

Pretty effects would probably work well, like silks. I'd think carefully about doing a standard TT silk vanish, though. I'd make that recommendation to anyone, not just for a girls' show!

since you didn't give us a time scale i can't sugest anything but the basic method.

keep it simple, bold and fun.
were possible make a shape change and or colour change.
props work best for focus.
rope is great, so many easy tricks you can do with little or no moves.

most kids props can be made in an afternoon and can be learnt in 5 mins, i say learnt not performance proficient, just in case someone takes excemption.

It's in 3 weeks time so I've got a little time for prep but not a huge amount. Thanks again for all of the helpful suggestions.

I also like to do little bits that make them all "Giddy" they have fun and enjoy themselves...girls that age love to giggle. For example I get them to wear a hardhelmet when helping out with spongballs as it "can be dangerous work you know?" Or have them really big ugle protechive goggles - the kind they wear in on construction sites - and say they are x-ray goggles that help see what they are thinking....just in case "you try and cheat"

Silly things like that will lengthen the time the performance of an effect takes to perform and will add the "10 year old giddy school girl factor" into the show and get them giggling. It also provides parents with some fun photo opps with their child as helper