Strike up the fun! How to make the most of your child’s birthday party

Picture this: you’re a busy parent, juggling a million priorities, when suddenly you realise your kid’s birthday is around the corner… And you must find an exciting children’s birthday party venue, stat. What to do? Head to Zone Bowling for a bowling party, that’s what! Tenpin bowling is fun for all ages, combining the thrill of the game with the joy of socialising. It also makes dealing with details such as rustling up yummy party food and guaranteeing a good vibe for all guests much easier. Best bit? You can add a whole range of games, challenges and special prizes to make it the best birthday party ever. (Bonus: you don’t have to clean up after the party…) Try these creative game ideas to make your child’s tenpin bowling birthday party even better. 

1. Bowling Bingo 

Give a classic game of tenpin bowling a twist with Bowling Bingo. Create bingo-style cards featuring images of different bowling-related activities to tick off, such as getting your bowling shoes, picking a ball, bowling your first strike or spare, knocking a certain number of pins down, doing a victory dance, and even bowling a gutter ball. As your young guests bowl, they mark off the items on their cards. The first one to complete a row shouts ‘Bingo!’ and wins a prize. 

2. Mini awards 

There can only be one overall winner for a game of bowling – but that doesn’t mean there can’t be a range of mini-awards given to guests while they play. Recruit other parents (or even young guests) to choose those players that deserve a reward for skills other than winning at tenpin bowling. Prizes can be handed out for the ‘most improved bowler’, ‘most enthusiastic bowler’, ‘best team spirit’, ‘best bowling outfit’ or ‘most encouraging player’, for example. 

3. Bowling trivia quiz 

Take a breather between games and test the kids’ bowling knowledge with a fun bowling trivia quiz. Prepare easy questions related to bowling history, terminology, and fun facts – choose trivia that’s funny or quirky to capture their attention and make them laugh. Kids can answer as individuals or form teams, and high-scorers can be rewarded with small prizes. 

4. Best bowling pose contest 

Capture the fun moments with a ‘Best bowling pose’ contest. Provide props like funny hats, quirky glasses, and oversize bowling pins for the kids to use. Encourage them to strike their most hilarious poses while holding their bowling balls, and take pics – these can be sent to guests afterwards as a good memory of a great time. Have a panel of judges (or the parents) choose the best pose, and award a fun prize to the winner. You could mix it up by challenging the kids to arrive wearing bowling-related fancy dress costumes, and encourage them to come up with a bowling chant or tenpin bowling dance, too – it’s a great way to forge team spirit! 

5. Mix things up 

Hosting a child’s birthday party at Zone Bowling comes with one big advantage: besides tenpin bowling, your party guests could also access loads of exciting arcade games and laser skirmish challenges to spice things up if needed. Take a look at our children’s birthday party packages to find out more. 

Prize ideas for a bowling party 

Each child receives a goody bag at a Zone Bowling birthday party, but you can dial up the excitement by adding some kid-friendly prizes throughout the day. Stickers, puzzles, books, lollies, tenpin bowling-themed toys and DVDs can all work well – or add some bowling gift cards to the mix for extra fun and games! If you need help picking little prizes to reward your birthday party guests, check out the options at Zone Bowling’s iconic Winners Vault. 

Ready to start planning your next birthday party? Find out more about our kids birthday party packages here.