Bowling traditionally consists of a weighted bowling ball, 10 weighted pins, a long alley and multicolored shoes. However, you can transform this activity into an entertaining outdoor or household game with a little creativity. Use water balloons for balls, shape sand into bowling pins or use household items as pins and enjoy the game without the alley and bowling shoes.
Water Balloon Bowling
Add the fun of playing with water and getting wet to traditional bowling games for a fun outdoor activity on warm days, suggests the Baby Center website. Fill enough water balloons so each child gets at least one water balloon to use as a bowling ball. Use partially filled water bottles, empty cans with dry beans added for weight or small plastic cones as the bowling pins. Encourage one child at a time to roll or throw one water balloon at the pins in an attempt to knock the pins over without breaking the water balloon.
Beach Bowling
The beach can become a bowling lane for children and adults looking for something fun to do as the sun sets or on days when the water is too cold in this game suggested by the National Geographic Kids website. Make sure to bring a ball on your beach trip and use a bucket or cup to mold bowling pins made of sand. Fill the bucket with moist sand, pat the sand down and flip the bucket over so it stands on the sand. Carefully remove the bucket to create your first pin. Continue this method until you have 10 pins in a triangle shape. Take six steps away from the pins and mark a line in the sand. Each player takes turns standing behind the line and rolling the ball toward the pins. Keep track of how many pins each player knocks down on paper or with marks in the sand. The pins need to be remade after each player's turn.
Bowling Pin Derby
Bring bowling inside the house with some easy suggestions by the Family Fun website. Use a small amount of modeling clay inside the bottom of a plastic disposable cup, invert a second disposable cup on top of the cup with the clay and tape the cups together with colorful tape. The cups serve as the bowling pins with the clay helping weigh down the cups to provide resistance. Make 10 pins and arrange in the shape of a triangle and designate a starting line six steps away from the pins. Use a small, indoor-safe ball such as a tennis or foam ball and have children roll the ball toward the pins without stepping over the starting line. Whoever knocks down the most pins over the course of the game wins. If you do not have modeling clay or disposable cups, the PBS Kids website recommends using 2-liter soda bottles filled with a small amount of water and re-capped.
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