Magic tricks for 6-year-olds

Magic at 6

At six most children can follow four or five steps in order without help, which opens up the first real secrets: the key card that finds any card in the deck, the pencil that sticks to your hand, and the coin that hides in a glass of water. Twice as many tricks fit a six-year-old as a five-year-old.

Six-year-olds love being in on a secret, so this is the age to start the Magician's Code: practise before you perform, and never tell how it is done. A good first show is three tricks for the family after dinner, with a grown-up announcing the magician.

By level, 38 Apprentice (works the first try) and 6 Conjurer (a little practice). They come off 6 shelves of the shop, most from The Everyday Shelf (13) and The Card Cabinet (10). What you need most often: kitchen things (11), cards (10), paper (9), and 5 tricks need nothing at all. 4 tricks have a step a grown-up does (something hot or a bright light), and 8 tricks carry the choking note for brothers and sisters under 4. The quickest to learn is The Rubber Pencil (1 minute); the longest is The Spelling Bee (15 minutes).

Buying a magic set for a 6-year-old? Read which magic kit, honestly first: most tricks on this page need only what is already in the house.