If you could wave a magic wand and help your child be more self-confident would you do it? Of course! While you had that wand in your hand you’d probably also see if the magic would work on folding laundry but we’ll focus on the children first.

Helping your child believe in themselves may not be as simple as channeling YOUR inner Harry Potter, but signing your child up for a magic class could do the trick (if you’ll pardon the pun.) Magic classes for children taught by professional magicians are popping up all over the country, in person and online, and right now could be a great time to give it a try. Here’s why.

1. Magic can build self-confidence

Magic can be a great tool for helping children build their self-confidence. If your child is struggling to find their “thing” after trying different activities and hobbies or if they are having a difficult time with school, they may not be feeling great about their abilities. However every child, and every adult for that matter, has unique talents — maybe magic is there’s!

When a child successfully learns a magic trick, it’s a huge boost to their self-esteem. Look what they can do! Magic classes also often include an element of performance training which can also help children who are feeling shy or unsure of themselves find their way to shine.

2. Magic class is online friendly

Some activities for children really need to be held in person. For example, your child isn’t going to get a whole lot out of online soccer practice. However, other activities, like magic lessons can easily be done over the computer with props found around the house. This makes magic classes a perfect activity for managing through a socially distanced winter.

Plus, bonus points for an activity you don’t need to bundle up in six layers of clothing for. When your child is happily practicing magic in the other room you can curl up on the couch with your latest romance novel, er, very important book on effective parenting techniques.

3. Magic teaches critical thinking

We’ve all seen and heard the child at the magic show who is playing detective and trying to figure out how the magician pulled the bunny out of the hat. Is there a cage under the table? Does the hat have a hole in it? Was the bunny in her coat the whole time? It may be slightly bothersome if your child is asking these questions loudly in an auditorium, but really what they are doing is critical thinking!

You can tap into this instinct to think about how things work by introducing your child to magic lessons. Curious minds will love breaking down the tricks, and that instrict to figure out the “how” can carry over into their schoolwork as well. 

4. Practice, practice, practice

The best way to learn magic is to keep practicing. Even seasoned magicians aren’t going to nail a new trick on the first try, and instructors will remind students of this. To get it right you need to practice, practice, practice.

Learning how to practice a skill in order to master it is a huge life lesson and an important one to learn young. Keep your child inspired to practice by introducing them to a new activity they love. (Bonus: Magic is a quiet practicing activity. Nothing against the recorder but there are only so many times you can listen to Hot Cross Buns.)

5. Magic is fun!

Last, but not at all least, magic is fun! At a certain age, children stop believing in magic, leaving their parents in puddles of “they’re growing up so fast!” tears. But when the magic starts to fade, children can create their own magic which can be just as fun. Right now we’ll take good clean fun wherever we can find it!

Now if your children could only make all the dishes in the sink disappear... How is it possible they are using so many cups each day?