I'd like to teach my 7yo a fun (easy!) trick. Any favorites to begin with? Should I start with something from Magic Dave's Magic Class? (I feel like a card trick might be underwhelming.)

There's a lot of kid magic sets on the Market - then do 1 at a time

Get him/Her an appearing flower from wand. I give the birthday kid a quick lesson before the show, and they perform it during the show. They get to keep it when I leave

The first one I was taught around the same age was the penny slap.

Place a penny on each face-up palm, keeping them about a foot apart and a couple of inches above the table.

Count to three, gently bouncing your palms a bit with each count. On three, turn your palms over and slap them straight down onto the table.

Flex your right hand a moment and turn it over to show the penny gone. Turn over the left hand to show both pennies there.

Of course, you're doing a simple toss as your hands turn over but stress that the hands should move together as if in a mirror. Point out how you're flipping the penny to the table just before the left hand covers that spot.

The rolling straw that follows your finger is another easy one that looks good. Teach the build-up of rubbing your thumb and forefinger together before pulling your finger away from the straw, making it twitch. Rub them again to "give your finger more power" and do it again to have the straw follow your finger briskly.

You'll need to show you're blowing in front of the straw, rather than at the straw, and to blow gently to make it roll smoothly.