kid psychology
How to Deal with Older Kids Set on Disrupting Your Show
I talk to older kids before every show. I didn’t use to. I used to roll into a birthday party full of 10-year-olds and try to immediately befriend them. I would be high-fiving them, joking, talking conspiratorially about how we could trick the adults. My thinking was I would bond with them and then we…
Read MoreReaching the Hard-to-Reach Children
Ever struggled working with kids who are extremely shy or who just don’t pay attention? Most probably you have, and if you haven’t yet, it’s almost a certainty you will. That’s why this article by Samuel Boey may prove helpful. Samuel is a speech pathologist/children’s entertainer who has a flair for connecting with children who…
Read MorePoor Behaviour and What to Do About It
First off, let me direct you to Seriously Silly by David Kaye. This book has the definitive directory on what to do if you get a behaviour problem during a show. To be honest, I rarely have to use it. (And by the way, I haven’t looked at it while making this lesson. I don’t…
Read MoreKEH052: How to Bond with Your Audience
How to Bond with Your Audience: Performing Tips for Kids and Family Entertainers Many children’s entertainers start out thinking it’s the magic tricks, the puppet handling skills, the balloon twisting designs that’s going to make them a stellar and successful performer. All those technical stuff are important—no doubt about that—but the KEY to being a…
Read MoreKEH051: Hospital Entertaining Tips for Children’s Entertainers
Hospital Entertaining Tips for Children’s Entertainers Hospital entertaining is rewarding—there’s no doubt about it—but it isn’t as simple as it sounds. From the condition of the child and his/her parents, to the almost constant coming and going of medical personnel, to the culture of the different wards, to sanitary precautions and hospital regulations, there’s actually…
Read MoreKEH049: Props-Free Kids Games You Can Use
Props-Free Kids Games You Can Use Take the fun to the next level by adding these super-simple props-free kids games to your show. In this episode, we got civil engineer AND expert games leader Clayton Poland to share not just his go-to games but also the techniques he uses to run children’s games smoothly. Here…
Read MoreKEH 046 : Audience Handling Tips for Kids Entertainers
Audience Handling Tips for Kids Entertainers: How to Manage the Behaviour of the Children—and the Adults—at Your Show Welcome to the second series of the Kids Entertainer Podcast! For our first episode of series 2, we bring you brilliant audience handling tips from the UK’s award-winning children’s entertainer, Paul Megram. Holding the attention of kids…
Read MoreCrowd Control Tips for Kids Entertainers: How to Deal with Insistent and Difficult Audiences
Whether you’re a new or an experienced kids entertainer, there was certainly a time when you had to deal with rowdy kids who are disrupting your show, a particularly persistent child who walks up onstage while you’re performing, or a couple of parents who approach you at the end of your show and insist you…
Read MoreBecome a Games Leader – A Kids Entertainer’s Guide Part 7
Step 7 to Becoming an Amazing Games Leader:Â Kill It Before It Dies! Last time we talked about how important it is to be like a cheerleader when leading children’s games. And here, in the final installment of this series, we’ll talk about one last tip you need to keep in mind to be a successful…
Read MoreKEH 044: The Psychology of Play
The Psychology of Play See Performing for Children from a Fresh Perspective Play is such a big part of a child’s life, and it’s astounding at times how we as kids entertainers often don’t think about the psychology behind it and view what we do in its light. Professional clown Adam Zimmerman has made it…
Read More