You can find bowling alleys virtually everywhere in the US. But some people prefer to play other variations of the traditional ten pin bowling game. For example: using six pins there are simpler versions of bowling perfect for kids, as well as the 3-6-9 variation of the game of the ten point set up. When I was younger, especially in girl scouts, we used to do what is sometimes called “crazy bowl” – making up our own rules as we went along.
You can get kids’ six pin (or ten pin) games at many major toy stores. The six pin method is definitely suited especially for kids. Six pin bowling is usually designed to set up at home. There really are no strict rules, just the basics. In addition, there are no official tournaments, or even venues that provide this type of bowling for children’s entertainment. Often these toys can be great preparation for a child who might become very involved in competitive bowling later in life. Or you can purchase a bowling game for the purpose of just having some fun that your kids can enjoy – and no other, major goal.
The “crazy bowl” game I used to play in Girl Scouts is one of the goofiest kid’s games ever. If you decide to rent a lane or lanes to play this with a group of children – I seriously recommend that you get the gutter bumpers that are almost always available. If you have children or if you have ever worked with children, then you already know that goofy is good.
There are rules for crazy bowl – but you can make up whatever rules you want. Of course the rules should be made considering the safety of the kids, those bowling balls are heavy, right? And heavy can be dangerous, as you probably already know. For example: my Girl Scout troop went on little field trips to the bowling alley with double bumpers. We sat with our legs in a V position – almost on the lane and pushed the ball as hard as we could to see how many pins we could knock over (or how far the ball would roll. We rolled the balls backwards between our legs, swinging our bodies and the ball in both hands and rolling it behind us down the lane.
Back when I played crazy bowl we also enjoyed the carefree task of pushing the ball in teams of two, sitting on our knees on the lane. There were usually two girls pushing with both hands. One last example is the only one in which we were actually using the finger and thumb holes in the ball, but there was a catch – we had to do it blindfolded and a non-blindfolded partner would point the girl who was bowling in the right direction so that no one would get hurt accidentally.
When you are trying to find fun ways to entertain your family, consider bowling. There are many ways to make bowling a wonderful family hobby. Your kids may want to join a league, it can become a regular family activity, or you can just play around with bowling toys at home. Whether you do it for fun, profession, competition or for a simple family focus, bowling is a great sport that has lasted thousands upon thousands of years.
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