OT - is a bowling party suitable for 5 year olds?

[zalansky]

My son is turning 5 at the end of this month and though he has never been bowling, he is requesting a bowling party. Most of the kids attending the party will be 5 years old. The alley said they put up those guards and that the kids this age do fine. I just want to be sure. This year already, we have been to 2 Chuck E Cheese parties, 2 Pump It Up parties (which DS had last year and we don't want to do again), 2 parties at a playground and a gymnastics party. I want to do something different. I just want to make sure this is appropriate for the age. Thanks.

 

[irene_dsc]

We went to a bowling party a few years ago. I forget how old the birthday girl was at the time, but may have been 5. (What can I say - the years are all running together!) Anyhow, the kids had fun for a while, tho seemed to lose interest after a while. Then they had cake in a party room downstairs. It was ok, but maybe not a huge stand-out hit.

Btw, you seem to have hit almost all of the places we've been to! Other places we've been (for other people's parties - we have always done ours at home): magic show, and a stuff-your-own-stuffed-animal place (all girls except my ds).

 

[kitn]

A bowling party is a great idea for this agegroup. We took our soccer team ages 5 and 6 for a bowling party and it was a big hit. As long as the rails are up you will be fine.

 

[cathyce2]

My DD will be 4 next week and goes bowling at least once a month. In fact she is invited to a bowling party for a girl in her class in a few days. Our bowling alley puts up the bumpers and also has a ramp so all they have to do is put the ball up and give a push. It sounds like a great party to me!

 

[tinkandpan]

My son's preschool for some reason had a run on bowling parties. They will be totally fine at 5. We had 4 year olds and they were great.

 

[bigbabyblues]

My DS' school had a bowling party for grades K-3 at the end of the school year, and they loved it! Some of the K kids were 5 and they all had fun.

 

[Melissa_E]

Katie is 4.5 and has been bowling for a while now, she LOVES it! As long as the bumpers are up, I'm sure they will be fine. Enjoy!

 

[brymolmom]

We did it for ds's 5th bday in May. We had bid on a bowling party at a charity event and 'won' it - so we didn't really plan it but it turned out GREAT! All the kids were either 4, 5 or 6 and everyone did well. We set it up with one lane with 'bumpers' and the other lane without - the older kids did it from the one without and the younger ones used the one with.

Go for it!

 

[Stephres]

A bowling party is great for five year olds: we are going to one Sunday!

 

[Ariel8676]

We just had a bowling party for my DD who turned 5..it was great and the kids had a blast!!

 

[ggeorgiagirl]

As someone who WENT to a bowling party last month...here is my take on it (my DS is 5)

The mom was pretty stressed out because she had invited a lot of kids. She had 5 lanes with bumpers...it wasn't enough. The little kids could only handle about 3 kids per lane because they were impatient. I love to take my kids bowling...but this even stressed me out. Little kids carrying bowling balls every where...fighting over the too few ligher ones...dropping them...YIKES!

On a lighter note...she found CUTE stuff (bowling pin cups, bowling ball cookies...)

I had a Pirate and Princess party in my back yard ( wonder where I got that idea ) IT ROCKED!

GOOD LUCK!

 

[MSSANDRA]

There have been a few kids at our preschool that have had these parties and I have stoped by a few. The kids at our school really seem to have a good time but it is hard to keep up with everyone. Kids get tired waiting their turn and start to roam. Most bowling lanes are not really built for children's parties and the security is not what you find at say chucky cheese so just be aware that you need extra adults. They also have games that tend to attact children and can be a source of wondering off and meltdowns. This is a party I would want parents to stay at. If parents do not stay, remember 5 year olds do not know what size shoe they wear so be sure to ask before they leave and even though some can tie thier shoes, most can not handle those super long ties. You need lots of extra help!

 

[zalansky]

THANK YOU all for your input! The parents of the kids in DS's class (pre-k 4) all stay at the parties...no one ever gets dropped off. I brought it up to DS last night that I had looked into this and would you believe he tells me he now wants his party at Pump It Up again because at the end of the party, they have a big inflatable chair that the birthday kid gets to sit in!! KIDS!
The un-funny part is that this party costs about $500. And this, a few days after Xmas. Like I said we gave him the Pump It Up Party last year and I thought it was way too much to spend on a childs party!

If we had a house with a big yard, I would do that, but alas - we don't. Anyone want to try and come up with a new kids birthday party concept with me? We'll be millionaires.

 

[Stephres]

We always do one big party, like Pump It Up, one year and then a small sleepover-type party the next. I think all those big parties get out of hand and what do they remember? The big inflatable chair!

Good luck planning!

 

[murcor]

We had one for my ds when he turned 5. My advice is that you only invite a few kids. Waiting for your turn at that age they can get restless and since they are already excited results in running around, not paying attention etc.

The kids love bowling but I suggest a small number maybe 2 lanes with only 3kids per lane.

Even for their ages now, 7 & 8, I would give the same advice

Enjoy