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The new trailer for the Magician’s Nephew dropped recently, and we’re excited!
If your little is excited too, read on for how you can incorporate magic, wonder and learning into their lives ahead of the movie’s release.
If you haven’t already watched the trailer, here’s it is.
The Chronicles of Narnia is a children’s book series that began with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 1950. The author, C.S. Lewis continued writing sequels to the original story through the 50s.
Despite their age, the Chronicles of Narnia remain beloved amongst children and adults alike.
This book was originally published in 1955 as a prequel to the rest of the Narnia series. In terms of the timeline, The Magician’s Nephew comes before The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It’s a prequel book for the series exploring the creation of Narnia itself!
Both The Magician’s Nephew and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe are great places to start reading the series. Some prefer to read the books in publication order, while others like the chronological one.
Either way, The Magician’s Nephew can be read by itself. It’s an excellent standalone and invites the readers to explore the world of Narnia with the eyes of two little kids: Digory and Polly.
This is a perfect opportunity to motivate your child to read. The recommended age for The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis is 8 to 12 years old. But it’s a fabulous book to read-aloud with kids ages 6+.
As part of getting ready for the release of The Magician’s Nephew, start up a little “book club” with your kid. Together, read the book chapter by chapter.
You can kickstart the story by reading chapter 1 out loud.
Then, it’s their turn.
Switch back and forth together. You read the odd chapters; they read the even chapters.
This helps introduce kids to independent reading while still making it a fun activity to do with mum or dad.
At the end of each chapter, take a moment to discuss what happened. This is great practice for kids as they learn to express feelings, parse out details in storytelling, and allow them to get a deeper understanding of long form texts.
Reading is a behaviour that has to be modelled.
Seeing mum or dad sit down and read a book with them is a great way to encourage future reading. The great news? The Chronicles of Narnia has six more books!
If they loved book 1, have them try reading book 2: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. After each chapter, have them relate what happened to you. This lets them practice their reading comprehend skills.
In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe one of the boys in the books is tempted to work with the White Witch when she offers him Turkish Delight.
These are sweet treats – for Edmund, living in World War 2 England, they are a rare delight (pun intended). This was a luxury out of reach for Edmund Pevensie and, indeed, many children in 1950 when the book was published. Rationing was still very much in effect.
These days a version of Turkish Delight can be purchased at stores. These can be an easy way to theme the food for your watch play.
But cooking with your kid is a great way to engage children and teach valuable skills. Following a recipe promotes patience, demonstrates cause-and-effect (we worked together and now we have something yummy to eat!), and builds teamworking skills.
To make the taste for palatable for kids try substituting rosewater with orange, mandarin, or mint extracts for flavour.
(If Turkish Delights look too challenging to make, another subtitution is jelly. Buy a jelly making kit and dust the results with caster sugar for the distinct white exterior)
If treats aren’t for you, there are other ways you can incorporate the setting into your watch party. The Magician’s Nephew is set in London, 1900.
(The movie adjusts the timeline and instead sets it the year the book was published: 1955!)
This is a great opportunity to learn history through taste. Try out an Edwardian or Victorian cookbook (1901 is the official start of the Edwardian era).
Try out Edwardian Cooking by Larry Edwards. Get a copy on Amazon.
Or find a post-war cookbook for the 1950s setting of the new movie.
No movie just happens. Every detail is painstakingly crafted by a team of experts. To help build excited and appreciation for the marvel that is movie-making, research with your little different people who had a hand in the story:
Greta Gerwig is a massively successful director, but she didn’t start out that way! Discuss her career and maybe even watch other movies she has made.
Keep in mind the age rating. The Barbie movie is a P-13 movie. On the other hand, Little Women (2019) is rated PG in the US and G in Australia.
The stars of the show are David McKenna (playing Digory) and Beatrice Campbell (playing Polly).
David has previously acted in the miniseries The Lord of the Flies (2026). Note this TV show is not suitable for children.
Beatrice has been in The Phoenician Scheme (2025) and The Stolen Girl (2025). The former is a PG 13 movie directed by Wes Anderson. The latter is not suitable for children.
There are plenty of other jobs within the film industry that don’t make it onto “the stage”. Some people actually build “the stage”. The production design for this movie is James Chinlund. He’s worked on several blockbusters in the past.
Investigating the many hands that worked together to make a movie can help kids imagine their own future careers, or simple value the work involved.
Get Inspired: While you're at the cinema, take a moment to watch the credits role. Pick out a few different roles seen in the movie to find out what they involve.
The titular “magician” is Andrew Ketterley. Just like Andrew, your child too could learn to do magic. There are plenty of kid’s magic tutorials online.
Learn the tricks together so you’re both “in one the secret”. Then host a talent show where you are the assistant to the Magician.
The Magician’s Nephew is set to release on 12 February 2027. It’s due for a theatrical realise from that date where you can watch it in a regular cinema or on IMAX. Following that, on 2 April, the movie will hit streaming.
As the movie was produced by Netflix, that’s where it will be streaming.
Whether you head off to the movies as a family or settling in a cosy night at home, be sure to keep a note on your calendar for when the movie becomes available. That way you can build anticipation (and teach long term patience) with your kid!
Before the big day, you can go costume hunting so they can dress up. If you miss your window, not to worry. A folded bedsheet can work well as a "wizard's cloak" in a pinch! Use an old brooch to keep it on their shoulders.
After the show, if you're child is even more obsessed with the world of Narnia than before, we have the perfect idea for their birthday party.
They are going to love Magic Tag.
These interactive wands will be available for birthday parties or special events in the near future. Get on the waitlist today so you don’t miss out on updates and the release date announcement!
It’s a world first magic wand game. We deliver 12 wands to your door. Book for Saturday and you get Sunday for free!
In a set of 12, you have 6 wands on the red team, 6 on the blue team.
Have guests dress up as a magician, witch, wizard, sorcerer (or whatever spell-caster they like). These costumes are common at costume shops or online retailers, especially around Halloween. Keep an eye out for a good deal after Halloween for the best deals.
The game itself works like this: when kids on the red team wave their wand, it lights up red. When a kid on the blue team waves their wand it lights up blue. Spells make special sound effects and flash for different achievements.
The main goal of the game is to tag the other team. Wizards aim the tip of their wand at player on the other team (make sure to aim the wand!). If they manage to tag their opponent, they get feedback.
They might hear “Jinx!” or “Hex!”. That means they successfully cast a spell on the other player.
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