A couple of times a year, I run a Magic Intensive Class at the school where I teach. It’s for kids aged 7 to 10, and it’s one of my favourite things to teach. We’re not drilling vocabulary or grammar here—we’re building confidence, character, and mystery. It’s great that my workplace allows me and encourages me to do this – students not only learn magic but they’re also practicing their English and building confidence in front of others.

The Structure

The course runs over six lessons, each one about two hours long. Across that time, students learn 11 tricks, explore the different types of magic, create their own magician persona, magic poster and then perform a three-trick set in a real show on the final day.

By the end of it, every student has:

• How to make a coin or any other small object vanish
• Knows the basics of handling cards
• Learns which tricks go well with eachother
• Designed their own poster with their stage name

The Tricks

I chose the tricks to be mostly self working, simple but also strong and also ones which allow them freedom to find their own presentations.

• The Piano Card Trick – the classic self working wonder.
• Poker Player’s Picnic – Jean Hugard’s incredible self worker
• The Royal Family – A cyclical setup where Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces reunite after a party.
• The Rising Cards Trick – A simple duplicate trick where two cards “rise” to the top using pseudo duplicates.
• The Three Robbers – A coin and card story trick with a detective twist. I used a Karl Fulves handling using a coin which is a winner.
• Magician’s Choice – A mentalism-style prediction using psychological forcing and equivoque.
• The Vanishing Coin – A classic french drop vanish
• The Vanishing Coin (with wand) – A wand-assisted vanish using misdirection.
• The Coin Fold – A vanish where the coin disappears from folded paper.
• The Suspended Rope – A comedy rope that stiffens and collapses on command.
• The Upside-Down Card Trick – A card reversal trick using a simple setup.

Every trick is paired with performance tips and a structured explanation. I first perform the trick then we break down the actions. I will also perform it again badly and ask them what I was doing wrong to help them realize the important of presentation, We talk about how to speak, where to look, and why keeping secrets matters.

What Works (and What Doesn’t)

Through trial and error, I’ve learned a few important things:

• Choose simple tricks – you soon realize how teaching something as simple to us as an overhand shuffle can take a LOT of time to breakdown and explain to kids.
• Keep the card tricks self working – in the timescale I had I couldn’t spend time trying to teach them sleights.
• Give them freedom – encourage them to create their own stories and ideas and they often come up with interesting presentations of their own.
• Make a book – the first time I did the class I had no book to give them with the explanations in which meant they had to remember the tricks each week. This time I had a spiralbound book they can take home.

The Final Show

In the last lesson, each child performs three tricks which they have been practicing for their show and which we then film and send to their parents. I’m always amazed how well they do and it’s a joy to watch them go from knowing nothing about magic to performing three tricks in front of an audience in 3 weeks. Some things go really well, sometimes there’s a slip up but it doesn’t matter. Magic is fun.