Abracadabra! Make School Anxiety Disappear Over Summer Vacation with Magic
This post continues a theme I think is important, which is helping your child build self-confidence over summer vacation by having him or her learn special skills (the last post was about juggling) that are also fun to do. An additional benefit to these kinds of activities is that they provide opportunity for positive parent/child communication and connection.
Like juggling, learning magic tricks can help your child overcome school anxiety and ease symptoms such as, trouble concentrating and learning, becoming easily overwhelmed, feeling helpless, being nervous about socializing and feeling worthless. And like juggling, teaching kids magic tricks is being touted by mental health professionals and educators as a way to help kids who have emotional and behavioral problems such as ADD/ADHD, anxiety and depressive disorders and oppositional/defiant behaviors.Children with learning disabilities can benefit too.
Professor Richard Wiseman, a psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire, UK was at one time "an award-winning professional magician." Wiseman studied the effects of teaching kids magic tricks in school and found that "magic" boosted kids, "good health, confidence and social skills" more than traditional classes and exercises on those subjects. The benefits of "magic" include:
- builds self-confidence and self-worth
- teaches kids how to be disciplined, to practice
- increases reading, math, science and spatial skills
- teaches kids how to think logically
- helps kids to interact with peers and adults
- has been shown to improve kids' behavior
- helps kids become confident about public speaking
- is inexpensive fun for the entire family
Children who get involved learning magic tricks also learn how to concentrate and stay focused, to set goals and follow through on those goals, and to meet challenges because it's not easy learning how to do magic well. When children get hooked on magic they develop a passion to learn and desire to reach their personal best. Knowing how to do magic tricks will enable your child to entertain and impress peers and adults, and his or her confidence will sky-rocket. Let's face it—"magic" is cool!
My next post continues the summer vacation theme with an article and information on: Ventriloquism.
One link below will connect you to Professor Wiseman's site, the others will get your budding magician started—hundreds of sites are on the web, so start to Google.
Magic Tricks
MAGIC TRICKS! Rita and Shelly have contributed a number of fun magic tricks that are easy to do and have really wonderful results. So jump in and learn how ...
Coin Magic Trick - Card Trick 1 - Magic Toothpick Trick
www.kidzone.ws/magic/index.htm - 17k - Cached - Similar pages
Fool your friends with this silly challenge! www.lanceburton.com/learn/gotchas.html. Online magic tricks for kids – lots of fun! ...
www.activityvillage.co.uk/magic_tricks.htm - 28k - Cached - Similar pages
Easy Magic Tricks for Kids to Learn and Perform - All About Magic ...
Here are some easy magic tricks that kids can learn that are simple and only require materials that you find around the house.
magic.about.com/od/libraryofsimpletricks/ig/Easy-Tricks-for-Kids/ - 16k - Cached - Similar pages
Magic Tricks For Kids - Activity TV
Card Magic Tricks for Kids. Learn easy magic tricks that require nothing more than a deck of playing cards. Will the Cards Match? ...
www.activitytv.com/magic-tricks-for-kids - 37k - Cached - Similar pages
Richard Wiseman - Home
WELCOME TO THE WEBSITE OF PROFESSOR RICHARD WISEMAN ... Prof Richard Wiseman is based at the University of Hertfordshire in the UK, and has gained an ...
www.richardwiseman.com/ - 8k - Cached - Similar pages
Quite inspiring,
I think that teaching Magic tricks would be a great idea and would definately help the kids in settling,
Thanks for bringing this up
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