What is misdirection?

Misdirection is when someone makes you look at one thing so you don’t notice another thing happening right beside it.

Imagine you’re playing a game where you have to find a hidden toy under a blanket. Your friend starts talking about a bright red balloon that’s floating nearby, and you follow their eyes to the balloon, but while you're looking there, your friend quickly moves the toy to a new spot. That's misdirection!

• When someone uses misdirection, they want you to pay attention to one thing so you don’t notice something else.
• It’s like when you’re eating a big bowl of cereal, and your mom says, “Look at that silly cat on the wall!”, while she secretly takes a spoonful of your cereal!

Misdirection is used in many places, like in movies or on stage. A magician might use it to make you think one thing is happening when actually something else is going on behind your back. But you don’t need magic to enjoy it, just a little bit of clever thinking!