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Yes thats right family have asked me to do magic for there 2 year old bday where there will be kids from 4-2, I have no idea what to do, im thinking maybe some funny things, surely this is just a disaster waiting to happen!!!???!?!! but with family you cant say NO.

Hi Smithy,

Magic for a 2yr old is going to be virtually impossible. He/she are not going to understand it one bit.

My grandson was 7 last Dec, my daughter asked me if I would perform the magic in the hall that she had booked. My answer was NO,im definitely not a childrens entertainer,I entertain the kids during table hopping at weddings etc. but there is no way I can entertain 30 7yr olds for an hour and a half or so. I spoke to a mate of mine,who is a childrens entertainer,who gladly took the booking. It went down a storm too.

So in answer to your post, You can definitely say no to family.


Deano

I do this for a living, and I am very flexible. But no matter how hungry I am (and I have been very hungry the last two years) I just say no.
Two year olds do not know, understand or care about entertainment. Even dressing as Barney will not do it for them. Three year olds aren't any better. They need to be able to interact at a playschool before you even think about doing entertainment for them.
Family or not, you just have to say no. Otherwise you will have a horrible time, and will damage your reputation among your family. Not worth it.

TonyB wrote:Two year olds do not know, understand or care about entertainment. Even dressing as Barney will not do it for them. Three year olds aren't any better. They need to be able to interact at a playschool before you even think about doing entertainment for them.

Indeed. Their 'theory of mind' is still quite under developed at that age.

Ask if there are going to be older kids there. I was once hired for a four year olds party. I told them a four year old wouldn't enjoy magic and they said I was going to be for the older kids who were around seven.

If not then don't bother. You can say no to family, my brothers at uni and he says no to my offer to perform for his new mates all the time.

Indeed. Their 'theory of mind' is still quite under developed at that age.[/quote]

Ive met some adults like that.

Deano

you can't do magic as has been said, small children just accept the world as it is.

But you could to singing: give them drums. kids love to hit things. I think the going rate is about £35 an hour.

I'm totally with the guys, a little bit of a sing song might work but when Ive seen a children's magician performing and little ones have been there, they've just look scared.

Whatever you do don't go dressed as a catholic priest....it never goes down well

I still remember getting a phone call from a woman in Dublin asking me to do a show for two year olds. I tried to say no but she begged and begged me. I asked if there were any older children there and she said there were two three year olds also. I told her this was still no good but she still insisted. Money always is a great temptation for me so in the end I gave in but said in a polite way that "on your own head be it"

I remember doing the show in the back garden and that isn't always a good thing either. Inside is always better than outside although not always possible.

Anyway to my astonishment the show went amazingly well. To this day I have utterly no idea how the hell I got away with it. I did insist on only doing 30 minutes instead of my usual 45.

I haven't repeated the experiment though. Nowadays I always tell enquirers I don't do shows for two year olds and they don't insist like the Dublin woman did. I have reluctantly done a few shows for three year olds and again I seem to have gotten away with it.

I would however, advise, as a general rule never to take on shows unless the kids are at least 4 years old. And five year old is better.

I tend to agree with what as been written here it could be a disaster. I was at a christening of three children and a thirtieth birthday coimbined. There was a lot of children under 10 and there was amagician for the kids and he bombed. The younger children were to much for him and the organisors said they would not use him again. At another party by the same people he was not asked back.

Saying that my daughter is three and loves magic. But that is on a one on one, or with just a couple of friends. I tend to use a puppet with them as well. I have used sponge balls and a s***** bag to turn a blank card with three spong ball into a three of hearts or diamond.

Performing at a party though for a large number could end in disaster

A puppet can work for the very young. I used a talking dog for a handicapped group during the summer, and it was the only thing they responded to.

Thankyou for all your comments, I have had the show, BUT, sadly I went dressed as a catholic priest and bombed, if only I had read Greed's comment sooner... .

No the two year olds ran riot as we had no Baloons but Luckily (and surprisingly, my parents (who where babysitting my gear brought the wrong stand with them, they brought none of my childrens magic ad all of my adults magic, which was lucky as I eneded up walking aornd for the adults.

someone mentioned a going rate, call me a mug, but I don't charge close family, I see it as free advertising whilst doing a favour.

Must have gone down well as my cousin begged me to accept money as everyone had a cracking time, even if half the people could no longer think, infact one comment was on he lines of at about 1000 decibels no kids at this point thank god "No F******** way that s*** is not F****** possible", .

MagicalSmithy wrote: one comment was on he lines of at about 1000 decibels no kids at this point thank god "No F******** way that s*** is not F****** possible", .

Ah, so there WAS a priest there...

am no master magician but one thing i know is young children including toddlers. i must say if you know what they are thinking you can keep a child as young as two happy with magic if there are nothing else for them to do. i know this because my mother as been a foster carer for almost 12 years and i would have my puppets i use out but recently i found toddlers that young even below 2yrs are entranced by a bright sponge ball been vanished the most common way but let them assume its in the relevent hand and wave it slowly around also ive a two yrs old and she is excited to hysterics by the great british coin trick