When Kevin Spencer, who was conferred with the prestigious International Magician of the Year award in 2009, created his ‘Hocus Focus’ project, he definitely surprised the parents but was supported in his venture by many reputed psychologists and educational experts.
This project represented his brilliant attempt to blend magic with education in a bid to cultivate attributes like concentration, confidence and respect for academic skills in children so that they had better chances of surviving in today’s competitive world. This program is just one of a kind which uses magic to create a positive impact on children, and people the world over are beginning to realise and acknowledge the benefits magic tricks can have on their lives.
Gone are the days when magic was regarded as evil and sorcerers were hunted down – in the contemporary era, magic is not only fun but has been found to be advantageous in many ways to both the performer as well as the audience.
Discussed below are some of the ways in which magic tricks benefit the performer as well as their audience. The relevance of magic is far reaching as we can see below:
Triggers imagination and creativity
Magic is an art in itself and like other forms of art, it needs plenty of practice, perseverance and patience for the performer to excel.
When novices decide to take up magic, one of the foremost requisites which they must cultivate entails learning to handle paraphernalia like magnetic rings, cards, hats, ribbons and so on.
Obviously this requires much imagination and creativity and many people consciously feel that this kind of education has led them to become more open minded.
Hence, performing these tricks correctly in front of an audience has the same effect on them – apart from being enthralled, it arouses their inherent curiosity, sparks their imagination and opens up their mind to new possibilities as well.
Enhances Concentration
Children live in a world of their own and the aspect of magic tricks which fascinates them the most concerns how these are performed.
In an effort to unravel the mystery, they watch the magician with unwavering concentration, hoping to figure out the trick.
In this way, the relevance of magic is apparent because not only do they become more observant but mentally sharp also. In addition, they learn to develop critical thinking skills which are likely to come in handy in a classroom setting while conducting experiments.
Helps Overcome Shyness
The fact that many magicians were shy as children and subsequently went on to host stage shows all over the world is proof enough of the fact that learning magic helps to build confidence and this is turn plays a crucial role in overcoming shyness.
Having mastered the trick, nothing could be a bigger confidence booster than performing it perfectly in front of an audience and seeing them rapturously applauding.
Such sessions invariably encourage interaction in form of questions and conversation and before long the budding magician is a million light years away from shyness.
Development of Fine and Good Motor Skills
Magic tricks involve incessant movement of the hands and intricate handling of objects.
Therefore, it is but natural for good motor skills to develop and by the time the children become eight years of age, they have become adept at fine motor skills as well.
This is also one of the reasons why magicians advise parents to introduce their children to this art during their formative years – not only is it an interesting way of teaching them how to follow instructions but also acquire fluency in their movements courtesy of repeated practice.
Alleviates Stress
In the hectic lifestyle of today which is the demand of the contemporary era, you might often find yourself mentally stressed.
At times like this, instead of brooding over the problems of life and sinking into a depression, is it not a better idea to cast aside all the problems and become involved in an interesting activity?
Stress is a major health concern which in turn causes a myriad of other problems and that is why taking a break by spending some time focusing on an activity would be a good idea.
One of the most amazing ways in which the art of magic has been found to be effective is its therapeutic value towards various disabilities. With cases like autism, cognitive delayed, learning disabled and emotionally disturbed surfacing frequently, inclusion of magic in the curriculum enables these children to concentrate and develop the will power to use their physical and mental faculties in the best possible way.
Another area in which magic tricks form a part of treatment therapy is hemiplegia, described as a cerebral palsy caused by damage to parts of the brain which control muscular movements.
Although the victims of this disability have no hope of being totally cured, their motor skills have shown a great deal of improvement through regular practice of magic tricks.
Whether it has a neurological impact as well is yet to be studied but as of now therapists are happy to notice even the slightest improvement in muscular movements. Relevance of magic
Thus magic has a lot of relevance in life not only in terms of physical development but also for cultivating mental faculties, not to mention its therapeutic importance.
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