🎂 Magic for a birthday party, by the host's age

Which show, at which age

• Ages 5 to 7: The Kitchen Wizard. Five tricks, nothing to practise for more than five minutes, and most of it happens in a bowl of water. About 8 minutes.
• Ages 8 to 10: The Mind Reader. Nobody touches a single secret move. It's all maths, and it all works by itself. About 12 minutes.
• Ages 10 to 12: The Grand Illusionist. A real vanish, a prediction in a sealed envelope, and a finish you walk through. About 15 minutes.

Under seven, keep it to three or four tricks and let a grown-up introduce the magician. From about eight, a child can run the whole thing, including choosing a helper from the room.

How long a room lasts

A room of young children watches well for about ten minutes; older children for fifteen. That is why the ready-made shows run eight to fifteen minutes and no longer. Finish before they are restless and they will ask for more, which is exactly right.

Plan for the snacks to come straight after the show, not before. A room waiting for cake is a hard audience.

Tricks that suit a party

The best party tricks are big enough to see from the back, need no lights off and leave no mess. Our Top 10 for a birthday party is ranked by exactly that, from the shop's own data.

Mind-reading tricks are especially good for a crowd, because everybody plays along in their heads at the same time. The Answer Is Always 3 needs nothing at all.

Safety at a party

Parties have little brothers and sisters in them. Tricks that use coins, dice, paperclips or pom-poms carry a choking note for anybody under four: keep those for the older guests, and pick the props up straight after. No trick in the shop uses fire, and a step that needs something hot or a bright light is always a grown-up's.