Get a co-conspirator and play these mind games on your family. Wrap a scarf or turban around your head for extra credibility. Your kids will think twice about saying they didn’t eat the last cookie–you can, after all, read their minds!
Trick One
Gather everyone together and tell them that you have mastered the art of ESP. Tell them that, with the help of your assistant, you can name any object or person that they think about.
Leave the room or plug your ears while everyone chooses an object and then whispers it to your assistant. Now you come back in the room or unplug your ears. It’s up to your assistant to clue you in on what the object is. But first, ask everyone to think about the person or object. Then close your eyes and mumble and act pained at the effort.
Meanwhile, your assistant will spell the object by using the the first letter of the object in the first word of a sentence, the second letter as the first letter of the second sentence and so on. For example, let’s say the object chosen is the dog. Your assistant would say something like, “Do not underestimate the powers of Mom’s ESP. Only truly gifted people have the power. Doubters will be grounded forever!
Your assistant has spelled out “DOG” and you know the answer. Do the trick one more time, but after that, let ‘em wonder.
Trick Two
This is essentially the same as trick one, but your partner’s job is a little less sophisticated, so you can use much younger children.
Leave the room or plug your ears while everyone else picks an object or person in the room. Come back in or unplug your ears. Now it’s your partner’s job to name things around the room. The trick is, he or she will name a red object just before naming the object everyone has chosen.
For example, if the object chosen is the refrigerator, your partner might name a few random things (that are not red) and then name a red thing, such as “Is it this apple?” You say no, but then you know when he or she next says, “Is it the refrigerator?” that is the correct answer.