We spent a fun-filled and memorable Sunday celebrating cousin Hayley’s 7th Birthday, engaged in a fun sport – Bowling! It was Dana’s very 1st time at the bowling alley and she was highly thrilled! Daddy and Mommy had this assumptions that bowling is suitable for older kids (i.e. teenagers) and adults but judging by the laughter and enthusiasm we witnessed today, we couldn’t be more wrong – kids find the game irresistible.
Brightly furbished Lobby… |
We were very pleasantly surprised to discover that:
1. Kids can bowl (and they loved it!). In fact, more than 1/2 of the bowlers we saw today were kids.
2. Bowling can be a fun and relatively hassle-free, inexpensive alternative for family bonding (without having to leave the country).
3. Kids can pick up valuable life skills from bowling – how to be a good sport, how to support others team members and the importance of consistency to do well in the game.
Dana with her bunch of fun-loving cousins: (From left) Kelly, Ethan, Jessie and Birthday Girl Hayley |
When we first arrived, Uncle Alvin (Hayley’s Daddy) brought Dana to exchange her footwear or a pair of proper bowling shoes. We must have been living on mountains as we did not expect bowling alleys to carry so many sizes customized just for kids. Talk about being business savvy!
Daddy and Dana ready to Bowl! |
Uncle Alvin gave Dana a quick crash course of how to handle the bowling ball and history was made from that moment on..
Picking up her fav coloured ball… |
The lightest bowling ball available was 6lb but our girl was determined to give it a go. Many adults can’t even bowl well, let alone kids. But herein lies the attraction of kid bowling: for very young bowlers, we can activate an apparatus that closes off the gutters, ensuring that the kids will hit some pins down whichever way they bowl! This is an ingenious way to stimulate kids’ interest in bowling and enhance the enjoyment of the game. Come on, no one likes the feeling of seeing your ball roll pathetically into the gutters right?
Our young bowler in action… |
Dana took her position, steadied herself, swing the ball and released it. Even though it wasn’t a perfect throw, she was over the moon (literally!)
Yay, I did it!!! |
Her 1st bowling experience was made so much more enjoyable with the company of her little cousins. They were very well-behaved; waited for their turns patiently and encouraged Dana along. They were also sporting – no one threw a fit when they were trailing or did a lousy throw…To them, as long as the ball hit some pins, they are happy…
Her wonderful cousins – the Singapore gang! Others are in Australia and Malaysia… |
All the mummies and daddies couldn’t withstand the temptation and decided to join in the fun. It’s a heartwarming sight to see parents and kids bowl together! When the kids are happy, the adults will be 🙂
Here’s a lovely shot of Team Daddy and Dana! |
The kids bowled continuously one after another…each time more confident than the last. In between turns, they goofed around, munched on finger food, joked and chatted…The adrenalin rush was so high that no one complained of being tired even after 2 hours of bowling. In fact, all of them were reluctant to call it a day. Before we adjourned for the cake cutting, Dana did her last stylish throw which scored a strike. It’s a great morale booster for the girl’s first bowling outing.
Giving it her best shot! |
Even the scoreboards are customized for kids. Dana scored a 74! |
We want to thank Hayley for inviting us to such a special Birthday Party. We had so much fun! Dana enjoyed herself tremendously and couldn’t stop talking about it after we left. Guess what? Over the telephone this evening, she’s already ‘booked’ her Penang mama (paternal grandma) to come to Singapore next year to attend her bowling birthday party! Looks like Mommy and Daddy will have to do some serious party planning homework soon…
The jubilant kids saying we’ll be back! |
The smiles say it all…this was one of the most awesome parties of the year! |
If you have kids above 4 and have never brought them bowling, you should! Check out Kallang Bowl’s website for opening hours and other details. This is the 1st time we brought Dana bowling but we know for sure, it certainly won’t be the last.
We’ve found a new sport to keep Dana happy! |
Address: 5 Stadium Walk
#05-02, Leisure Park Kallang
Singapore 397693
Email: [email protected]
MummyMoo says
Oooooh!!! I bet Caden would love to bowl! Thanks for the suggestion 🙂
Jasmine Koh says
We tend to bowl on the xbox kinect but once my younger son is older, we would love to go to the bowling alley.
Ai Sakura says
so sweet! 🙂 I love the scoreboard!
Ai @ Sakura Haruka
p2me1a says
I love the shot of Dana jumping in the air! 🙂
Dominique Goh says
Lovely pictures of Dana bowling. Next time we can get the kids to bowl together as both my boys bowl.
Adora says
we also went bowling at the same place when poppy was about 3. she and her friends absolutely loved it! how about a bowling date during the school hols? 🙂
ps i so can feel the immense love you have for darling dana with every post. great job, mummy!