Why Bowling Is Great For Kids

It’s no secret that tenpin bowling is a great pastime for teens and adults to blow off some steam, make memories and share fun moments with their crew. But while bowling is fun for the whole family, it’s also particularly beneficial for younger children’s self-esteem, maths skills and social skills. Below, we dive into our top five reasons why bowling is great for kids.

1. It’s a social activity

Bowling might seem like more of a mental game given that it’s focused on strategically knocking down pins, but it’s so much more than that. No matter how busy you are knocking down pins and regardless of whether you’re getting more gutter balls than strikes, you’ll still be sharing a laugh and some good conversation with your friends and family. This makes tenpin bowling a good activity to try for quieter kids: bowling is social, but there’s also a specific activity to focus on, which can help shy kids feel safer about coming out of their shells. 

Tenpin bowling also teaches kids (and often adults, too!) how to be a great sportsperson, offering loads of opportunities to laugh off a gutter ball and keep trying, or encourage a friend who’s bowling better than them. It’s all part of the fun of bowling!

2. Physically fit

While a game of tenpin bowling probably won’t leave you sweaty and physically exhausted (unless a lot of victory dancing went on!), there’s no denying that it is a form of exercise. Spending a few hours at a bowling alley can provide stress release and improve fitness by  boosting muscle strength and flexibility – all good things for kids to develop. Bowling uses the arms, shoulders, wrists, and upper leg muscles – the heavier the ball used, the more the muscles are taxed. Balance and core strength are also important for good form in bowling. Best part? It’s a low-stress, low-impact exercise, which can be very good to build up strength in kids that aren’t as active or are dealing with physical weakness or illness.

3. Learning about numbers

Enough about the physical stuff – tenpin bowling can also stimulate the brain and cognition by hiding maths and counting skills in every game. Even with computers keeping score, kids can learn to work out how many pins they need to knock down and calculate their own totals. Maths has never been so fun!

4. It’s low pressure

With gutter guards and bowling ramps, achieving even the simplest components of the game are made super accessible to little hands. As young bowlers get better, they’ll also gain the confidence to eventually try a game of bowling without these safeguards.

And in between potential misses or low scores, kids can sit back and relax with some chippies or a paddle pop and have a nice chat with their mum, dad, or friends.

5. It’s encouraging

Every time it’s your kid’s turn to roll, it’ll be as if they’re starting again. With every pin reset, they’ll have the chance to improve their technique or get lucky with a fluke strike or spare, which will only encourage them to keep going.

Not to mention your child will be surrounded by their friends or family, all cheering them on for hitting more of the pins down each time. Bowling can be an easy-win moment in life to lift an anxious or sad child’s spirits, and with just one spare or strike you’re giving them the opportunity to feel pro at something.

Book your next adventure

Generally, a tenpin bowling alley is the perfect place to host a kids’ party, or just spend some time bonding with your little ones. It truly entertains the whole family! Encourage your kid to build their self-confidence and have fun at Zone Bowling! Check out our latest deals to ramp up the fun.