Bowling At Home

Going to the bowling alley with the kids can be a real adventure. From putting bumpers up on your lane, to balls being dropped on the floor, to somehow the kids beating you in a game of bowling, a family outing to the bowling alley can be a very memorable experience. It can also be a lot of work.

While heading to the bowling alley is an activity that you should put on your list to try out with your kids, it’s also not something that you will be doing every week unless your kids are old enough to be able to take care of themselves. In place of heading to the bowling alley, you can bring the fun home.

Bowling at home is such a simple yet fun activity for the whole family, especially if you structure it similar to going to the bowling alley. You don’t have to wrangle everyone into the car, and you don’t have to worry about bothering those in the lanes next to you (of course, if you live in an apartment then those above or below you may not love you rolling a ball along the floor).

Find a hallway that you can set the pins up in, and get them setup at the end. Close all of the doors, and then stand at the other end of the hallway. Now, you simply roll the ball down the hallway and you’ve got your own bowling alley along with natural bumpers. Hopefully you can still score a respectable number at home (unless you’re really serious then you’re probably not keeping score).

Your kids can play anytime that they want, and you don’t have to play. You can also play without them if you’d like :). Having a playset at home is a great way to prepare kids to go to an actual bowling alley so they have an idea of how the game works without you having to explain it all. Most kids will still have lots of questions, but they should have a sense of how to roll a ball to hit the pins at least.

Another nice part about bowling at home is that you can have all the snacks you want at home without spending a bunch of money to buy them. Frozen pizza, chicken, or fruits and vegetables are all options. Of course, you can bowl at home without anything as well, but if you’re trying to make a fun family activity then adding some food to the mix doesn’t hurt.

As is usual with games at home, teach your kids how to take turns, how to share, and how to have fun even if they don’t bowl a strike/spare every time. Helping kids to learn important life skills while playing at home will benefit them throughout their lives. Sharing and learning to lose are both extremely important lessons to help teach kids as they grow up as both are things that they will have to do lots of as they grow older.

Get your home bowling set, plan a family night with them, and enjoy a fun night with the family. You’ll probably still get out-bowled by your kid, but that’s just part of life.