I wanted to throw in a "paper balls over the head" kind of trick into my sponge ball routine. You know, when supposedly putting the ball in you hand you really throw it behind you. But I remember reading (I think in Seriously Silly) that kids (around ages 4-9) will scream out the first thing they see. So do you think they will also scream out "He threw it behind you!", or do you think they will just laugh and play along.

They will scream it out the second they see it. At that age they won't understand that they are supposed to "play along". Its a funny routine, and I still laugh when I see it done when the 'victim' doesn't have a clue.

i have been doing a paper ball over head routine with toilet paper for about 4 years.... i dont think there has been a single time when some kid hasn't yelled it out... but heres wut i do (feel free to use the idea)

i do the routine a couple times without throwing it and just get them use to the idea... each time i remind the audience to not tell them becuz we are going to trick the volunteer.... i try my best to make the audience feel as if they are part of the trick too. making it seem as if they are helping me... then typically the 3rd time i will throw it over... if the kids yell it out i simply chuckle and announce to the volunteer to turn around... everyone gets a big laugh and i explain that even everyone in the audience can try that to their friends... but i say being a magician i have to now attempt to trick the audience since you revealed my secret.... and i play it up as a "nah nah ha ha i'm gonna get you back" kind of trick... i load a mouth coil from my pocket into my hand and then take another piece of toilet paper and roll it into a ball (in your case, just another spongeball) ... and i count gesturing my hands back and forth as if i was to throw it behind the volunteers back again... on the third time i shove the mouth coil into my mouth and put my hand into my pocket to ditch the piece of toilet paper .... Bigger MOTION COVERS THE SMALLER MOTION..... every kid yells "its in your mouth" and blah blah... i make a few jokes and then pull the mouth coil out... so its sort of like a double trick... first i pull the kids in to trust me and right when i got them there i fool them with the coil...
im sure they make red mouth coils... might be an idea


Hope this helps,
Brian

Go with Bookmagic's idea. Just tell them not to tell, if they do, it's still a laugh.

Thats pretty much a surefire way to get them to shout it out.

"you guys will see how to do it, but he'll be fooled, so keep quiet okay?"

Obviously you have never done a kid show before. What ever you tell them to do, they WILL do the opposite.

So tell them to shout out how you're doing it.

Yes... that was sarcasm.

Than like I said, it's still a laugh.

The whole point of the effect is that the volunteer doesn't know. Them shouting it out ruins the comedy. It's funny because of its repetition.

-JT

make the audience part of the trick.... make every single person feel as if they are part of the trick... that will make sure they wont scream it out... something such as "alright well im going to needs everyones help .... im going to try to fool (such and such) and i need everyone to do me a big favor... if you guys see which hand i put the ball in dont tell them cuz "WE" are going to try to trick them."

the more you try to involve the audience the better your chances are at not having the kids shout it out...

thats about the best advice i can give... even if the kids scream it out you still have the mouth coil idea at the end that i offered in my previous post. try it out and you will learn what works from experience.

Well, I been doing Paper Balls over the Head at all my my past 4 or 5 kid shows. I just get the Volunteer to leave the room and I tell the kids that they are going to make the magic happen this time, and that they will see how its done but the volunteer will not. Kids will laugh at this if you get one of there parents up.