Hey, I have a few questions about what do to for a four years olds party. I pretty much just want to know if they will understand the following.

My hanky routine with breakaway wands and mouth coils.
A cut/restored and professor's nightmare rope trick.
Coloring Book.
Miser's Dream.
Hippity Hop Rabbits.

Thanks in advance.

Maloney

I like it but I am not 100% sure about professor's nightmare. I have perform this but for older kids. But the rest looks good.

I did a show for a 5 year olds once and the biggest reaction was for the cut/restored rope. But, I'll take into consideration what you have to say.

First thing right away that popped out at me---- FORGET the mouth coils! You don't want kids trying to mimick you and start shoving things in their mouth to see if they can copy you. This is a choking risk and not appropriate for this age category.

My daughter does a very successful professor's nightmare routine and it is a hit with the younger kids as well as the older kids/adults. It always gets a great reaction. She tacks on a part of Daryl's routine to the end of it. However she does it to 100% custom storytelling, which is why I think the younger kids love it so much.

I haven't seen your hanky routine, but they like big colorful things so I am assuming they would like this. You should try videotaping your hanky segment and putting it up!

The coloring book is good. We just don't use it because it is so popular. We "try" to come up with more obscure magic. I've literally had a couple of kids come up to us before, roll their eyes and ask if we were going to do the stiff rope and coloring book routine and telling us that wasn't "real" magic. This is just for your info to process how you would like. Sometimes a good illusion can be overdone.

I know Paddy loves Chris Capehart's Miser's Dream. You should check it out. I've been meaning to, just haven't yet. But, I always try and listen to my magician friends' recommendations. If they tell me something is worth looking it, I've found it usually is! I've only actually seen the Miser's Dream done twice in person. Once was by John Carney I believe, which was excellent. The other was by a magician that butchered it, which left me cringing.

I know Hippity Hop Rabbits is pretty much a staple in children's shows. We have it, but have never used it. Maybe one of these days we will. I picked it up at an auction for under $10. It needed a little touch up painting work (I'm a stickler for having props in tip-top order) and I haven't gotten around to repainting.

Just my thoughts and two cents.

~ Kristen

Thanks for the help.

I did a show for this age and they're favorite part of the show was when I "goofed" things up. (The magician in trouble) They will love the break away wand, but make sure it breaks on you not them. Add more gags like that in your show and you'll be a hit with this age.

I actually use two break away wands. I'm hoping I'll go over well with this age group, and if not I'll no what I have to change.

So, is there any other advice people can give me about performing for 4 year olds?

Hello,

The best advice is keep the routines with a lot of perticipation, If you can buy the Silly Billy DVD and you will see a very good routine with a coloring book and other stuff.

I make my living mostly doing kids shows and the best source for tricks for me was a program that Quentin Reynolds release some years ago, in the program he perform 7 different shows, and 7 or 8 routines in each one of them (56 routines in total).

I bought it from ebay, but I don´t know if he still sell them.

It all looks great to me. Personally I love the Mouth Coils. It's great for kids, and I don't think you'll have to worry about anyone mimmicking you. The only reason I stopped doing mouth coils was because my surplus of them ran out and I was too cheap to buy any more!

Now that's cheap! How much were they?

I got a call for a birthday party a few days back for a four year old. I turned them down. I said I would do a show for the family of adults and older children, but four is too young; they absolutely have no idea what's going on.

The youngest I will perform for is five or six, but only then are they getting s 25 minute show since it's nigh impossible to hold their attention any longer. Most pro-children workers would agree...

I bet they wouldn't agree. Just look at what Kristenl said to me. She was just saying whats good and whats not, and apparently the only thing that I shouldn't do for them is a mouth coil.

Major misconception there buddy!

I said it once on these board, and I'm gonna say it again, I speak from "a personal experience": When I was a kid I stuffed a plastic shopping bag into my mouth and tried to pull it out slowly after seeing a magician doing mouth coils; I almost choked on it. I was about 7.

well...ok. None the less, it's no where near as bad as the stuff on television for them to mimmick. I used them in my show for years as have Ken Scott, David Allen, David Ginn, David Kaye, Dan Garrett, and many other Kidshow legends, and NEVER had a problem.

A plastic bag doesn't even look like a mouth coil...so that was dumbness on YOUR part.