Magic tricks with a cup or glass

About these tricks

A cup or a glass turns into a stage of its own. A clear glass of water can make an arrow turn round or a coin vanish, a paper cup can float between your hands, and three cups and a ball make the oldest trick there is. Some of these are kitchen science and some are illusions, and the audience can't tell which is which.

Use a plastic cup for the youngest magicians and for anything that gets moved around; a glass is only for tricks where it stays on the table. The potions are for looking at, never for drinking, and every step that needs a grown-up says so out loud. Put a tea towel down first, because water tricks splash.

By level, 8 Apprentice (works the first try), 2 Conjurer (a little practice) and 1 Wizard (days of practice). They come off 3 shelves of the shop, most from The Potion Lab (6) and The Coin Counter (3). What you need most often: a cup or glass (11), kitchen things (6), a coin (4). 2 tricks have a step a grown-up does (something hot or a bright light), and 5 tricks carry the choking note for brothers and sisters under 4. The quickest to learn is The Arrow Flip (2 minutes); the longest is Easy Cups and Balls (3 to 5 days).