Hi, Abby here, with tips based on years of experience working exclusively kid's shows.
Tip 1: Hire a magician only after most of your audience reaches age 3. Most 1 and 2 year olds are not developmentally ready to enjoy a magician or clown -- even a silly magician or clown. I like to see infants at parties, as long as you're aware that they seldom get much out of seeing a performer.
Tip 2: Here are some good questions to ask the magicians who you are interviewing:
How many years of experience does the magician have?
Will this magician avoid language and stunts that you wouldn't want kids to mimic (fire, sharp objects)?
What percent of the magician's parties have been children's parties?
What's the age range that responds well to this particular magic show?
Are you reassured by the magician's professionalism? You may click here for a checklist to help you interview magicians. It's a PDF, which takes a minute to load.
Advice on Setting up For Your Magician
Here's how to optimize the setup when hosting a magician.
1) Larger groups laugh more. For birthdays I recommend having at least 15 children present. Groups of 30 or so laugh even louder. Of course, smaller groups allow more time for fancy balloons and face painting, so there are advantages with small groups also.
2) It's helpful to time the magician's performance for latecomers. Picture it: a family arrives late. Someone blurts, "you missed the magician!" This disappoints a child. Start your magic show at least 30 to 60 minutes after your party starts.
3) Even if your party is outside, put the magician's performance indoors. Years of working as a magician with sun glare, heatstroke, rain, wind, bees, mud, grass stains, dust, dog doo, and children running into the street have taught me that it usually goes better indoors.
4) Sitting on the floor gives children a better view than sitting in rows of chairs.
5) Clearing the room of toys beforehand reduces tripping and distractions.
6) Are there toys remaining in the room? Hide them. Out-of-reach toys may distract a young child to tears.
7) For grownups planning to chat rather than watch the show, provide a separate room. It's hard to compete with a magician's P.A. system.
8) Toddlers will toddle and need to be individually supervised for safety.
9) Decaffeinate. I've worked tea parties where they served full-caffeine tea and it showed.
10) As the magician departs, use an upcoming activity such as cake, pizza, or games. This reduces disappointment over the magician leaving. Click here for coloring pages for your party.
