Check out our list of 11 easiest magic tricks to do at home below if you are a magic trick junkie and if you’re wondering how to do magic tricks for kids, or how to do magic tricks for beginners.
Because everyone needs a little magic in their life, and what better way to liven up a dead party or make your seven-year-old nephew’s day? It’s never bad to have a few easy magic tricks up your sleeve, magic tricks that you won’t have to get a special kit for, much less a Master’s degree in Magic (if that even exists). Maybe you’re an adult attempting to renew your childhood passion for great tricks, or maybe you’re a kid bored because you’re stuck in bed with a broken ankle for a few weeks. Either way, you can pass time and become a more interesting person by practicing the easy tricks below. If you have basic household items and are even remotely sneaky, you can accomplish these tricks with no problem.
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To find easiest magic tricks to do at home, we searched YouTube, because when you’re learning magic, it’s so much easier to visualize in a video tutorial than read about it. We came up with some great tricks, many of which are performed by kids. And who better to instruct us on the best magic tricks?
To determine the easiest, we developed a points system based on two factors: materials required and preparation required. To tricks that required more than 4 materials, we gave zero points. Tricks that required 2-4 materials, received one point and tricks that required 1 material, received two points. Lastly, tricks that required no materials naturally received three points. For preparation required, we simply awarded one extra point to the tricks that didn’t require any prior preparation. However, we didn’t fault or dock points from the tricks that did require some preparation. As a result, the tricks at the beginning of this list require the least amount of materials (some require none) and the least amount of preparation (some also require no prep, although just like with any magic trick, a little practice before showing your friends always helps).
And for more great magic tricks, check out our list of 6 easiest coin magic tricks for kids for some easy magic tricks to do at home with coins. In case you are wondering how to do magic tricks with a pen, check out this video. Furthermore, on Instructables, you’re going to find out how to do magic with cards.
Some of the easiest magic tricks to do at home on the list below do involve coins, but others involve cards, bottles, straws and more. One of the tricks even doubles as a fun prank, so you might want to keep it in mind for when April Fool’s rolls around. Along with each trick, we listed the number of points it acquired, the materials required, the preparation required and the instructions for performing the actual trick. For your benefit, we also included the YouTube tutorials for each trick as well as the point in the video where that specific trick can be found.
So get ready to be the coolest uncle ever or the life of the party. Learn how to do easy magic tricks with hands as well as how to do magic tricks with paper, with our list of 11 easiest magic tricks to do at home (or anywhere)! We are starting off with the last 6 tricks which share the 6th place.
6. Foil Quarter Trick
1 point
Materials: 1 quarter, scissors, 1 small piece of foil, 1 small piece of paper
Preparation: Firmly press a quarter into a small piece of foil to imprint the design, then remove the quarter and cut the shape out of the foil. Additionally, cut a piece of paper into a square only slightly bigger than the foil quarter.
Trick: Hold both the foil quarter and the small square of paper up alongside each other, with the foil quarter in one hand and the paper in the other, telling your audience that you’ll make the quarter disappear, and not giving away that the quarter is actually just a piece of foil. Then pass the foil quarter behind the paper square and crumple it up slowly. Your audience will wonder where the quarter went.
Let’s see what else we have on our list of easiest magic tricks to do at home.
6. Static Electric Straw Trick
1 point
Materials: the cotton t-shirt you’re wearing, a plastic straw, and a full, plastic water or soda bottle
Preparation: Rub the straw into your shirt till it becomes static electrically charged.
Trick: Place the straw horizontally onto the top of your bottle’s lid, give it a slight nudge (without knocking it off), and the straw should move from side to side without any further nudging.
6. Multiplying Coins Trick
1 point
Materials: 2 paper plates, tape, a small piece of paper, 3 coins
Preparation: For the trick number 6 on our list of easiest magic tricks to do at home, you’ll have to take one of the paper plates, and the small piece of paper. Next, you’ll have to tape the paper to the underside edge of the paper plate, thus creating a pocket for two of the coins.
Trick: Hold both plates in opposite hands, with one plate holding one coin (and the other coins tucked into the pocket under the other plate). Move the plates back and forth just enough for the pocket to release 1 coin, then move them again so the third coin is released. Your audience will believe those extra coins came out of thin air.
6. Disappearing Crayons Trick
1 point
Materials: small rectangular crayon box (the ones they usually give out at restaurants), scissors, tape
Preparation: Take the crayons out of the box and cut a small square into the box of crayons right where the crayons are pictured. Then take the crayons and cut them all in half with some good scissors, then tape them all together and place them back inside the box. You’ll have to tip it over for them to show through the hole again.
Trick: Hold the box of crayons up, claiming that you’ll make them disappear. Then shake the box a little so the crayons fall to the bottom of the box. Your audience will wonder where the crayons went, then tip the box over to reveal the crayons again.
6. Tissue Through Tube Trick
1 point
Materials: 2 pieces of firm paper of the same color, 1 facial tissue, tape
Preparation: Roll both pieces of paper into a tube, then place one inside the other, taping one side. Stuff the tissue into the other side (in between the two sheets of paper), hiding it from view.
Trick: Simply hold up the tube and claim you’ll pull a tissue out of an empty tube, then do just that!
6. Disappearing Toothpick Trick
1 point
Materials: tape, 1 toothpick
Preparation: Tape the bottom half of a toothpick to the front side of one of your thumbs.
Trick: Close the fist with the taped toothpick and show your audience the toothpick, as if you’re holding it inside your fist. Then claim you’ll make it disappear. Then, quickly open your fist to reveal nothing. Close it back, and the toothpick will reappear inside your fist.
And now, let’s see the top five easiest magic tricks to do at home.
3. Disappearing Tennis Ball Trick
2 points
Materials: 3 napkins, tennis ball, coin
Preparation: none!
Trick: Hold up a coin, claiming you’ll make it disappear. Then casually place a tennis ball on top of it. Cover them both with a napkin that’s spread out (unfolded), and bunch the napkin around the tennis ball. Then remove the napkin. When the coin is still there, claim that you must need another napkin. Cover the tennis ball and napkin again with the first napkin and a second unfolded one, bunching them both around the tennis ball. When it doesn’t work the second time, try it with one more napkin covering it. Scoot the covered tennis ball towards you to add the third napkin and when you do, drop the tennis ball to the ground under the table you’re using, but keep holding the form of the tennis ball under the napkin. Lift up the napkins and reveal only the coin. The coin will still be there, but not the tennis ball, and that’s even better.
3. Water Bottle Coin Prank Trick
2 points
Materials: full water bottle, coin, cloth or napkin
Preparation: none!
Trick/prank: Show your friend the coin and the full water bottle, then place the coin on a surface with the bottle on top. Cover the bottle with a cloth (for effect) and tell them you’ll make the coin pass into the water bottle without touching it. Say “Abracadabra,” then remove the cloth. Open the lid of the bottle and peer inside, exclaiming that the coin is now inside the bottle. Then, prompt your friend to look inside as well. As they bend down to place one eye near the lid, give the bottle a little squeeze spraying it into their face. Fooled!
See one feisty grandma perform this trick on her husband in the video below. (Take a look at her t-shirt! Go grandma!)
3. Crumpled Napkin Trick
2 points
Materials: For the trick number three on our list of easiest magic tricks to do at home you’ll need 2 napkins.
Preparation: Crumple one napkin into a ball, then hold the second napkin over it in your hand, hiding the balled-up one.
Trick: Show your audience the napkin, then begin ripping up the napkin that’s not in a ball. Then ball everything up into both of your fists. Say the magic words as you squeeze your fist. Then open it and unfold the napkin you first balled-up while prepping. Your audience will think you magically put the ripped napkin back together.
Up next we have top two easiest magic tricks to do at home.
2. Card at the Bottom of the Deck Trick
3 points
Materials: 1 card deck
Preparation: none!
Trick: Spread out a deck of cards in your hand before your friend. Ask them to pick one without showing you which one they picked. Then tell them to put that card back into the spread out deck, anywhere. Secretly take note of where they put the card, then shuffle the deck while secretly placing the chosen card on the bottom of the deck once you finish shuffling. Next, ask your friend to hold the entire deck of cards in one hand between their thumb and index finger. Tell them not to hold it too tightly or loosely. Then slap the deck and make all the cards fall to the ground, but the card at the bottom of the deck will remain. This is their chosen card.
1. Finger Through Ear Trick
4 points
Materials: none!
Preparation: none!
Trick: Simply place your index finger in the middle of your ear facing your audience, pulling the top flap of your ear down along with the bottom flap. This creates the illusion that your index finger is sticking out through your ear. (You can also do this one with your thumb instead of your index finger.)
That’s all for our list of 11 easiest magic tricks to do at home. Now get practicing.
