How in the world does a magic class benefit my child?

When our daughter was 5, we enrolled her in soccer. It wasn’t because she would watch it on TV every day, or because she’d spend hours kicking a ball. It wasn’t even because all her friends were into it and she was just begging us to get her involved. She actually never did ANY of those things. We enrolled her in soccer because we saw the benefits of teamwork, the discipline, and the confidence it could give her. We wanted her to feel the joy of people cheering for her and the thrill of scoring a goal. We also saw that organized sports can be fun. We knew that being involved in fun activities could drive her forward and help her do tough things. We didn’t expect her to continue to play beyond her young age, and we definitely didn’t expect her to become the next Mia Hamm. Our purpose in enrollment was to see her grow as an individual. When I started performing magic shows 6 years ago, I did it with a passion for entertainment. I saw the thrill that kids had when seeing a trick that fooled them. I loved it and it was something that brought me great joy. What I didn’t expect was how it would change me as an individual. I found myself gaining confidence in doing something incredibly difficult. Attempting to entertain hundreds of people by tricking their minds is a very tough and rewarding thing for anyone to do. I found myself being more creative, more empathetic, more aware of others, and I had more desire to show genuine kindness to others. I found myself becoming a better version of me. Through the joy of magic, I saw myself honing valuable life skills and qualities that would benefit my life. This was much like the skills and qualities we’d hoped our daughter would gain and develop for her life by participating in organized sports. When I started the Utah School of Magic, an after-school program for kids using the nationally recognized Discover Magic curriculum, my initial thought was to highlight the magic. I wanted to show how a great trick could fool others, or how eye-popping a certain effect would be for others to see. I wanted to teach kids how to get that rewarding feeling that magic had given to me. I quickly realized that much like soccer or basketball, highlighting the magic is like highlighting what your child’s kick could look like if they took soccer, or how your child’s layup can be perfected in a basketball camp, or how your technique can make for the perfect throw. This is the wrong approach for a successful magic class. Much like sports, I want parents to see that magic has intrinsic value, beyond just the tricks, that will carry kids throughout their life. Some parents may perceive that a magic class is not for their child because they don’t show an overwhelming passion for magic. Kids don’t need to show a passion for magic to gain the skills you want them to learn. Magic is FUN for almost anyone, I dare say even more fun than some sports (I am biased of course)! If a class can use that fun to drive the same types of benefits that sports would provide for kids, then that’s what I aim to do. Allow me to highlight my experience in magic and how that influences what we focus on in our magic class and show you why it may be just the thing your child needs right now. My very first magic show was for a company party 6 years ago. My cousin invited me to perform a magic show for his company in Provo and told me there would be about 75 employees participating. No children. I had never really performed magic for large crowds and mainly only done small tricks for children or friends. I was beyond nervous. Getting up in front of crowds can be a challenge for ANYONE. How could I prepare for something like this? I would run through my routines over and over in my mind. I would practice not just the tricks, but the wording I would use while performing the tricks. What would I do if a trick goes awry? How do I handle a joke or social interaction that falls flat? (that was a tough one). What if people perceive me as fake? What if they don’t like me? How do I show confidence in what I’m doing? These were all fears and questions that I had to address. I found that to prepare, I would need to rely on traits and attributes that would make me a better performer and, in turn, would make me a better overall person. At the Utah School of Magic, the core principles that we teach are the following: That a true magician is respectful, prepared, enthusiastic, confident, humble, creative, authentic, and giving. We are focused on using the fun that magic intrinsically provides as a tool to instill these 8 traits in their everyday lives. My desire is that each child that goes through the class learns these 8 traits and uses them to succeed in all aspects of life. Magic can be a driving force to make awesome kids turn into awesome adults. It’s a wonderful tool to get kids excited to venture out and prepare their tricks, to respectfully and confidently talk to others about their enthusiasm and creative ideas. To give them the courage to humbly ask their friends or family members to receive the gift of an authentic performance that will bring joy to both the entertainer and to the entertained. All traits gained in one great class! If any of these traits appeal to you, reach out to us. You can find a local class for your child ages 7-12 at www.utahschoolofmagic.com. At the Utah School of Magic, our goal is to use the extraordinary fun that magic provides to make great kids appear. We hope you can share in that goal as well.