We love drawing and the kids love magic- especially when they get to play the magician and impress you with something amazing. My mother got the idea to make this craft, a magic picture, years ago when she saw the basic technique used to illustrate a children’s book. Ever since that time, she has been introducing this simple craft to children and making their jaws drop.
Items to Make Your Magic Picture:
- Paper
- Scissors
- Clear Tape
- Washable Markers
- One permanent Marker
- One Heavy Weight Clear Page Protector
How to Make a Magic Picture:
1. Cut one piece of white paper exactly in half.
2. Cut a page protector to be the same size as the half sheets of paper, but doubled and still connected at the fold.
3. Draw a simple picture on one of the sheets of paper with regular markers. An older child could draw their own illustration; for a younger child, you could draw the outline and allow the child to color it. Their drawing should have a very defined, clear shape. The more colorful, the better!
4. Place the colored picture inside the fold of the page protector. Tape the bottom two corners of the paper to the bottom layer of the page protector sheets. This will hold the drawing in place so it doesn’t wiggle around when they do the tracing.
5. Allow your child to trace the basic shape of the picture with the permanent marker on to the top layer of the page protector.
6. Make a little tab to tape on to the bottom of the blank piece of paper. Label the tab “pull.” Place the blank piece of paper in between the top sheet of the page protector and the paper with the colored illustration.
7. Pull the tab and “magically” turn your black and white picture into a beautiful colored one!
A Book to Incorporate
This activity works really well as a craft to accompany the classic children’s book Harold and the Purple Crayon. You can choose one of the illustrations from the book to draw or one of your own. Use a purple permanent marker to do the tracing. When you pull the tab it is as if Harold’s purple drawings are coming alive!
Have you done any “magic tricks” with your kids lately?
Other recent activities we have done with our kids include:
- A Magic Trick Secret (How to make paperclips attach)
- Another Magic Trick with a Dollar (we made it rise without touching it)
- And a Magic Trick with Water and Salt – to lift an icecube
Love jokes, pranks, and tricks? Then try this money trick on your friends!
http://kreativeactivities.blogspot.ca/2012/03/more-magnetic-ideas.html
http://kreativeactivities.blogspot.ca/2012/03/today-we-flew-kite.html
We did some magnaetic magic!
I am going to try your idea – so cool!
That is SOOOO COOL! I can’t wait to try it with my son! This is top on the list! Thank you! I LOVE IT!