The 10 Best Magic Kits

For kids 8 to 12 who want to put on a whole show, the National Geographic Mega Magic Kit covers the classics: cups and balls, a ball and vase, a coin case, a false thumb and a wand. It adds special card decks for sleight-of-hand practice. A link opens step-by-step videos in which a professional magician performs each trick and then explains it. The props are light plastic, so they look like toys up close.

Children as young as six can start performing quickly with Marvin's Amazing Magic Tricks Deluxe, a big box from a long-running British magic brand. It holds mind-reading canisters, a little magic theater, special cards and a wand, with a picture guide that walks through each secret. The trick count on the box includes many small variations, so expect a few dozen distinct effects. The bright plastic pieces can feel flimsy to older kids.

A patient kid who likes to read will get the most from the Thames & Kosmos Gold Edition. Its two color booklets teach every trick the same way: what you need, the secret setup, then the performance. The props were developed with Hanky Panky Toys, official magic-toy maker of FISM, the world federation of magic societies. The box holds gold cups, linking rings and rope, and about 28 tricks have videos. The ring routines take real practice.

Built to survive years of living-room shows, the Melissa & Doug Deluxe magic set uses solid-wood props that pack into a wooden case, and the case opens out into a small stage. The tricks are old favorites, such as a vanishing ball, a coin box, color-changing silks and a number prediction, and each one works from the props with little sleight of hand. There are only 10 tricks, so a quick learner can finish them in a weekend.

Teens and adults who know the famous duo will like the Penn & Teller Fool Everyone kit, because Penn and Teller filmed its video lessons in their Las Vegas theater. The box holds cups and balls, sponge balls, a ball and vase, a coin frame and a wand, and the props come from Royal Magic, an American magic maker. Many of the advertised 200-plus tricks are variations on one prop. The maker grades it for teens of 14 or older.

Working magician Jim Stott built the Jim Stott My First magic kit for kids starting at about five, so most of its tricks work by themselves: a coloring book that fills in, a flower that appears and a pencil that seems to split. Stott teaches each one in short videos, which helps a child who can't read the instructions yet. The props are small and light, and a younger sibling should not get hold of the dice and balls.

Spending little doesn't mean a thin set: the Learn & Climb Mega Magic kit brings a wide spread of props, from cups and balls to rope and trick tubes, in a two-level box that keeps the pieces sorted. Magician Leif Davis teaches the tricks in step-by-step videos, backed by a printed guide. The maker talks about hundreds of tricks, but that means a few dozen props used many ways. The thin plastic is built for fun, not for years of shows.

Pulling a rabbit out of a hat is the trick young kids picture first, and the Thames & Kosmos Magic Hat is built around it: a sturdy top hat with a secret compartment and a plush rabbit puppet. Smaller props add ball, coin, rope and dice tricks, and a color manual lays out each one with pictures. It's rated for ages six and up. With 35 tricks, an older child may run through it quickly.

Coin and bill tricks can be done anywhere, and the Jim Stott Ultimate Money Magic kit is built for that kind of close-up show, with gimmicked coins, a coin-through-glass effect and a gadget that seems to print money. Stott teaches the routines in videos on a private website. The web address in the welcome letter has to be typed exactly, capitals included, and these tricks take more practice than toy-box magic.

A deck of cards goes everywhere, which makes Marvin's Fifty Greatest Card Tricks a handy pick for a kid who wants to perform at school or at the dinner table. The metal tin holds a special deck, a handful of prepared packets and a printed booklet. Prepared cards do the hidden work, so the child can focus on timing and patter. It covers only cards, though, so there's nothing big enough for a stage show.