Do you believe in magic? Young and young at heart can agree, when it comes to marvelous vanishing acts and stunning sleight-of-hand, it’s hard not to get drawn into the illusion. From pulling a rabbit out of a hat, to making things float or divining the exact card you were thinking of inside your mind, the spell of the magician is captivating. If you’re looking to astonish and amaze, we’ve compiled a list of 10 experts’ consensus top picks of the easiest magic tricks for beginners.
Learning new skills is a great way to keep the brain going strong. In fact, a recent study says keeping the brain active promotes strong lifelong cognition. Taking up a new hobby or learning a new skill can be beneficial to staying sharp. Perhaps most importantly, though, don’t force it; find something you’re actually passionate about. Maybe that’s magic!
Plus, many magic tricks require fine motor skills to master, great for kids who are working to develop those muscles. Families wishing to spend more quality time together can devise their own show. The creative potential is unlimited! Just remember, magic takes practice to perfect, so instead of powering through, take short breaks to help your brain internalize all that new information. A new study from the National Institutes of Health reveals taking breaks is the key to learning new skills. You’ll be bending spoons and disappearing coins in no time!
Whether it’s a dazzling show in Las Vegas, or a how-to kit made to learn the art, magic is a fun interest to explore. If you’re ready for your magical journey, read on! Below are the top five best easy magic tricks for you to try, according to experts. Let us know in the comments which of these you’ve mastered!
The List: Best Easy Magic Tricks, According To Experts
1. Spoon-Bending Illusion
One of the easiest tricks you can perform, Scary Mommy explains that this illusion doesn’t require any fast moves: “This is all about hand placement and movement. While we’re not sure this technically constitutes sleight of hand since nothing happens very quickly, it does rely on your own finesse.”
“The Spoon Bend is a classic trick that every smart-aleck needs to know. You grab any spoon, press down on it with your hands and appear to bend the spoon. As your stunned spectators register what you just did, you lift up the spoon and show that it is unbent, just as you found it,” says The Spruce Crafts.
“The trick is all in the way you hold the spoon,” says Care.com. “It takes some practice, but this is one of the easier magic tricks for kids to master.”
2. Rubber Pencil Trick
This illusion takes a little practice, but it’s an easy one to start with. Care.com says, “This is a classic magic trick that even the youngest magicians can perform. By holding a regular pencil down by the eraser and shaking it at just the right speed, it appears to become made of bendable rubber instead of wood. This one doesn’t take any special skill, just a lot of practice to get the speed and technique just right.”
“This trick is a great way for kids to start improving their fine motor skills,” adds PureWow.
“We all know this trick, right? How many silly elementary school boys tried to impress you with their rubber pencil? For some reason, even after you know the trick, it’s still amusing enough to laugh at and roll your eyes,” writes Scary Mommy.
3. Disappearing Coin Act
Fatherly writes, “The following magic tricks require only household items and are simple enough for young kids to pick up. Gladwin and Kolodner shared some of their favorites, which they teach to kids as young as 5. In the end, Gladwin says, a great magic trick comes down to plenty of practice, so that the trick goes smoothly and young mesmerists can capture their audiences with poise, confidence, and stage presence.”
“You can perform this trick using any type of coin, as long as it’s big enough to grip in the finger-palm position. The disappearing quarter is one of the oldest tricks in the book, which means many people already know how it’s done. If you really want to impress them, you may need to pull out a lesser-known trick,” advises wikiHow.
The Spruce Crafts mentions a slightly more advanced version of this trick, using rings: “This trick makes it appear like the magician can make a coin disappear. The props for this trick include a couple of rings and a playing card. It requires a little bit of pre-construction but is probably suitable for kids (with a parent’s help for the younger magicians).”
4. Psychic Power
“Showing off your math skills and adding a magic trick to it is always a winning deception because not only will your audience feel tricked, they’ll also lose their mind trying to figure out why something so simple is so difficult to crack,” gloats Nas Academy.
Lifehack explains the secret behind your forthcoming psychic powers: “Here’s a trick built upon a little quirk of math that not too many people know about. When 9 is multiplied by any number between 2 and 9, the digits of the answer will always add up to 9.”
5. Find the Magic Card
Mom Junction explains, “For this trick, ask someone from your audience to pick up one card and remember its color. You take the card back and shuffle it. But to everyone’s surprise, you can still find your volunteer’s card without even looking at it once.”
Mom knows best when it comes to this classic card trick. “These simple tricks are a great place to start for your budding magician. Make sure they understand not to get discouraged right away — with practice, they’ll get better,” assures MomLovesBest.
PureWow says to start by having your volunteer shuffle the deck and split it in half. “Tell them to take the top card from the pile in their hands and memorize it…Have them place their card on top of the deck on the table, then place the rest of the deck from their hands on top of that…Pick up the deck of cards and begin to ‘read their mind’ while they think about their card.” Once you have reached that memorized card, you’ll know the next one is your volunteer’s card. It’s advised to “finish with a dramatic reveal.”
Sources:
- Scary Mommy
- The Spruce Crafts
- Care.com
- PureWow
- Fatherly
- wikiHow
- Nas Academy
- Lifehack
- MomLovesBest
- Mom Junction
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