There is nothing quite like watching my almost 3-year-old daughter hurl a bowling ball down a lane … and watching it fly at a wicked three miles per hour. It literally crawled down the lane every time. I often was holding my breath just hoping it made it to the end and luckily it did every time.
With the Kids Bowl Free program I will have plenty of opportunities to hold my breath and watch her ball creep to the pins. Surprisingly, she was able to knock all but one pin down multiple times … thanks to the lovely creation of bumper bowling! She was ecstatic when her ball made it into the hole … aka the gutter at the end. I had to explain to her that the object of bowling was to “push the pins over” with your ball.
My oldest tried out a few different methods to send his ball thundering down the lane. He tried between his legs, an overhand throw (which I do not recommend), and a sort of ninja spin throw which seemed to be the most successful for him.
You can also request a bowling ramp to adapt the bowling experience for people with special needs or young children. I opted against the ramp as I wanted both of my kiddos to get in some good proprioceptive/heavy work input as my daughter seeks activities that provide her body with this input.
My kids loved watching their six-pound ball “magically” pop out of the ball return, loved hearing the crashing of the pins, and loved keeping track of who was winning. My daughter was in the lead all the way up until the last two frames. She is ready to challenge my son again. She said she will beat him next time!
The Kids Bowl Free program is a great one! It allows registered kids to TWO FREE games of bowling each day all summer long! All you have to do is pay for the shoe rental. Next time I am paying to play too!
More information on proprioceptive (heavy work) input : http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/heavy-work-activities.html