Magic tricks for 5-year-olds

Magic at 5

Five is a lovely age for magic, because a five-year-old believes the audience will be amazed, and so the audience is. The tricks here work by themselves or with one simple move: a pencil that goes rubbery, a hole that appears in your hand, pepper that runs away from a soapy finger. Nothing needs nimble fingers or a long memory.

Read the steps aloud together the first time, then let them do it alone. The one thing to teach at five is the magic word: say it loud, then hold still for a second so everybody sees what happened. If a trick uses coins, dice or paperclips, keep the little brothers and sisters back; the trick page says so too.

By level, 22 Apprentice (works the first try). They come off 6 shelves of the shop, most from The Everyday Shelf (11) and The Potion Lab (5). What you need most often: paper (6), kitchen things (6), a pencil (5), and 3 tricks need nothing at all. 2 tricks have a step a grown-up does (something hot or a bright light), and 4 tricks carry the choking note for brothers and sisters under 4. The quickest to learn is The Rubber Pencil (1 minute); the longest is Secret Message Ink (10 minutes).

Buying a magic set for a 5-year-old? Read which magic kit, honestly first: most tricks on this page need only what is already in the house.