Comedy Warm-ups
for Children’s Shows
HAROLD TAYLOR started me on this, and once I got the hang of it —
I’ve never stopped doing it!
As I’ve said in live lectures for 34 years, the comedy warm-up in a
show for children is the first important thing you should learn about
entertaining children.
In books like Children Laugh Louder, Kidbiz, and Crash Course on
Kidshows, I shared more ways to get your kidshow started effectively.
In truth, they all boil down to a three-part system:
1. Get kids applauding.
2. Get them laughing.
3. Do something magical.
Many children don’t realize how to be a live audience. By telling
them early that it is okay to clap their hands for things they like, you’re
on the way to helping them enjoy your show. Then you reinforce it by
doing things that make them want to applaud.
The same goes true for laughter. I simply tell them, “It’s okay to
laugh during the show if you think something is funny.” Then I say or
do things that cause that reaction.
In school and library shows I often instruct kids early on how to sit.
Sometimes I say: “Please sit all the way down. Criss-cross applesauce,
story-style, pretzel style. Do not sit on your feet or your legs — or
your head.”
This is an effort to seat them properly so all can see. But I purposely
mix in humor (don’t sit on your head!) to make them laugh. Often I
follow up by saying, “It’s hard to see the show sitting on your head.”
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Part three of the warm-up is very important too:
Do something magical.
Now, that could be a trick, stunt, visual joke or many other things.
But I prefer it to be visual than simply audible.
It could be something as simple as the talking teeth, or something
more like my Pom Pom Pole routine, which you can view on YouTube
or on www.ginnmagic.com
The Sixth Finger Countdown is a simple warm-up, but it always
surprises kids when I do it. And it gets to magicians who have never
seen it too. At the Blackpool Magic Convention 2012, I included the bit
in my lecture on “Educating Children with Magic.” Immediately after
the lecture about two dozen magicians wanted to buy a 6th Finger.
Unfortunately, I had only nine with me!
So think in three parts — clapping hands, laughter, and doing
something magical.
One quick note about clapping hands:
Most elementary age children (ages 5-12) understand the concept of
clappping your hands in a performance. But preschoolers do not. So with
young preschool children, I must practice clapping hands with them.
I tell them to clap their hands on the count of three. “One, two,
three!” And I start leading the clapping. Then I yell, “STOP!”
I remind them to stop when I stop. So we do it again and see how
quickly they can stop. Repeated several times, it gets them accustomed
to clapping hands to participate. Then I purposely say one, two, three
and DON’T CLAP my hands. They, of course, DO clap.
“Stop! I didn’t say clap hands! Let’s try again.” We clap hands again
on my command, but we don’t stop.
Then I pull the trick on them of not stopping until I say STOP.
Yes, it’s all in the book, but I wanted you to be aware that this is
especially GOOD WARM-UP material for the under sixes.
So get the warm-up concept in your mind:
CLAP HANDS. Make them LAUGH. Then do something MAGICAL!
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And don’t overlook the gem in this book — the ABC’s Backwards.
This truly went from a joke (turning backwards) to a real bit of business
that I used in hundreds of shows. Any time I presented a trick involving
ABCs — such as Supreme’s ABC Stung or the ABC Block Trick —
I always performed the ABCs Backwards to introduce the trick.
Then, at a magic convention in the 1990s, I was surprised to learn
that bar magician Doc Eason was using the bit in his adult shows. I saw
him perform it at a magic convention for adults, and it worked!
But my biggest surprise
— and compliment — was
seeing Tim Hannig’s children
do their version at the 2010
FCM Conference. They call
it the CBA’s, as you will see
at the end of my video clip.
Thank you Tim, Sasha and
kids for allowing me to in-
clude it here.
Once you understand the
concept of comedy warm-
ups, you’ll be on the way
to making your show more
The Hannig Family in Cocoa Beach, FL, May,
effective in audience reaction.
2012: (left to right) Clayton, Keltie, Avery,
You may have a good show
Tim & Sacha, Kinley, Cody
now; frankly, I had a good
show back in 1973. But by
adding this opening warm-up before plunging into the show, I helped my
audiences of children and adults not only respond better, but enjoy the
show even more.
Yes, to me it all started with Harold Taylor — but it never ends if you
put it to use in your performances.
David Ginn
Food Court
5th Avenue Mall
Anchorage Alaska
June 1, 2012
One day before my
Kidbiz Live Workshop
in Anchorage!
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These kind of talking of chattering teeth are wound up with a key.
They’ve been around for over 60 years. And if you use them right,
you can still make children laugh with them.
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Here is the one I’ve
used a lot with Harry
Potter and the Goblet
of Fire book cover.
Here is the cover I
used for years when
I called the hot book
Smokey the Bear’s life
story, How to Put Out
Forest Fires. Maybe
you can find some-
thing similar. I don’t
know where I got this
artwork, a flyer or
poster somewhere.
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Inside the mechanism I’ve used
in hundreds of live shows.
Lighter fluid: used to douse the wick in
the hot book. One bottle of this will last
a hundred shows or more. Make sure
the wick is completely saturated.
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Here is the exact one and type of Sixth Finger I used in the video.
Made by Vernet in Argentina. That is pronounced, by the way,
VER-NET, as in fishing net or hair net. It is not pronounced Ver-NAY.
It is not French, but Spanish.
Personally, I’ve found that trimming off the sharp corners of the finger
keeps me from getting stuck, but still allows me to grip the finger.
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