Exciting Ideas for Children’s Entertainers

We all need inspiration once in a while. And to help you add some zing to the way you perform, handle an audience, or create an indelible positive impression on your clients, we asked kids entertainers from the world over to share the best ideas they’ve ever heard or read about.

So, ready for some amazing tips? If you are, scroll down to see the list of the most useful tips we’ve gathered.

Idea 1: Say Thank You via Txt

David Forsyth attests to the power of gratitude. He makes it a point to send a simple thank you text a day after the event, and nine times out of ten, he gets a positive response.

Idea 2: Gift Basket Sign

Next time you perform at a birthday party, make this small, nice gesture suggested by Israeli magician Zivi Raviv.

Idea 3: Souvenir Special

Robert Harris shares this activity that he does to wind things down towards the end of a party. He makes sure to mention it whenever he describes his packages to mums and he finds that parents love it.

Idea 4: The Free Espresso and Kitten Sign

Dean Davids has found out what a difference a simple sign can do. Since putting up the sign shown below every time he’s doing a show, he has noticed that less parents are on their cell phones, more are actually sitting with their children during his performance, and his bookings have increased by 20 to 25 percent! Why not give it a try?

Idea 5: Snail-Mail Thank You

Premier face painter Marcela Murad, who is well-known to kids as Mama Clown, opts to use a venue that technology-raised kids rarely experience to send them something to remember her by—good old regular mail.

Idea 6: The Secret Room

Next time you are asked to perform walk-around magic, try doing this tip from Gerry Thompson and add that level of mystery to your performance.

Idea 7: The Double Envelope Trick

Brian Smedley shares something he does during birthday parties. The trick begins by whipping up a card for the birthday kid and opening it for everyone to see. He puts the card back in its envelope and proceeds to hand it to the child, but then he remembers that he has forgotten to sign it.

So  out comes his magic wand, which he squiggles above the envelope as if he is writing his name in the air. After “signing” the card this way, he gets it from inside the envelope again and the kids are amazed to see what’s now written in the card.

To pull off the same trick Brian uses, check out the steps below.

Idea 8: Creative, Dual-Purpose Wraps

There is lots to love about Darren Casteel‘s wraps for the crates he uses to store and transport his props. They not only look nice on and off the stage; they also allow Darren to use the crates as a stand for his puppet.

Idea 9: The Instagram Frame

Gaia Germani followed the best marketing tip for children’s entertainers that we’ve seen this year. Following Stephen von Spiegelhauer’s cue, Gaia made an Instagram frame that’s perfect not just for photo ops, but for effortless promotion as well.

If you’d like to follow suit and create this insanely effective marketing material for your business, you can check out the steps here. You will also find excellent professional suggestions on what material to use or what printing directions to give by checking out this link.

Idea 10: See You Later, Alligator!

Ken Kelly and I saw this list of fun responses at the same time. Instantly we both looked at each other and said, “What a great tool.”

Having performed at thousands of shows, we know that when we say “See you later, alligator,” a child will give us the giggling response “Don’t forget your toilet paper.”

But many aren’t familiar with all these other cool follow-ups, so we made it a point to memorise them. The response from both kids and adults has been amazing.

Idea 11: A Novel Way to Perform Strolling Entertainment

To cap our list off, here’s something that’s bound to help you stand out. Andrew Remnet, aka Mr. Porkpie, brings what he describes to be “a mobile magic mini-stage” whenever he’s performing walkaround magic. It’s all made from recycled materials, and it’s certainly curiosity-piquing. Don’t you want your own portable stage, too?

There you have it, 11 ideas to try and apply to your shows. Do you have an idea of your own that you think will benefit other kids entertainers? Share them in the comments section below!