Magic tricks for 9-year-olds

Magic at 9

Nine-year-olds have the hands for the shop's real secret moves: the coin that vanishes from a fist, the napkin that is torn up and comes back whole, the string that is cut and restored. They also have the patience to practise one move every evening for a week, which is what those take.

Nine is a good age for helpers. Choosing somebody from the audience, using their name and letting them take the applause is a skill of its own, and the card tricks here are built for it. A nine-year-old can also teach an easy trick to a younger sister or brother, which is how most magicians learned.

By level, 34 Apprentice (works the first try), 27 Conjurer (a little practice) and 5 Wizard (days of practice). They come off 6 shelves of the shop, most from The Card Cabinet (15) and The Mind Reader's Corner (14). What you need most often: paper (17), cards (15), a coin (14), and 5 tricks need nothing at all. 6 tricks have a step a grown-up does (something hot or a bright light), and 19 tricks carry the choking note for brothers and sisters under 4. The quickest to learn is The Forehead Coin (2 minutes); the longest is The Vanishing Coin (3 to 5 days).

Buying a magic set for a 9-year-old? Read which magic kit, honestly first: most tricks on this page need only what is already in the house.