Unforgettable Bowling Birthday Party for Your Kid

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Bowling birthday parties are incredibly popular. They appeal to all ages – after all, bowling is just plain fun!

The trend is to rent out a few lanes at the local bowling alley, but why follow the crowd?

If you want to throw a truly unforgettable bowling party, these tips will tell you everything you need to know!

For more information on colorful birthday party games, birthday invitations and kids party supplies, we've compared all the products sold online and these are the best items that can save your centuries of time.

Invitations

For a fun kids bowling party invitation, cut out plain white bowling pins and have your child decorate them. Tell guests that it's time to "Strike up the fun!" at a bowling birthday party.

Write the time, date, and location of the party right on the front of the pin.

Another idea is to cut bowling balls out of black cardstock. Use a silver marker to write "(Child's name) is turning (age)!" in the center. Write the date, time, and location of the party around the edge of the ball, turning the paper to follow the outer curve as you write. Sketch in three finger holes for the finishing touch.

For a personal touch, take a picture of your child bowling (use props or capture the real thing). Attach the picture to a card and relay party details below the picture.

More creative bowling party invitations and photos.

Decorations

The Bowling party supplies pack contains everything you need to outfit your bowling birthday party table. This package includes plates, napkins, forks, spoons and cups, as well as decorative items. The centerpiece can be placed on the table or hung from the ceiling.

For a new take on traditional balloons and streamers, try this. Instead of hanging streamers the traditional way, create lanes on your ceiling by stretching them across the room in parallel lines, leaving approximately three feet between rows. Hang a triangular formation of balloons at one end of each lane to represent the bowling pins, while a single balloon at the other end doubles as a bowling ball.

Hang a bowling personalized birthday banner for an eye-catching display. Kids love to see their names in print, and this bold banner – an impressive five feet wide -- will let everyone know who this special day belongs to. For a new twist, preserve memories by having loved ones pose with the birthday kid under this grand announcement, celebrity style!

Use poster board to cut out large bowling pins. Decorate them so that some match while others are noticeably different. For example, put three stripes around the neck of some, while others have two or one stripe. Create an equal amount of each design and place them on the walls and around the room. Divide bowling birthday party guests into teams and challenge each team to be the first to find all of the pins in their designated set.

Bowling balls come in a variety of hues, so make a colorful display with round balloons. Connect several together with string or ribbon and attach them in a horizontal line to the wall. Make three or four rows and line them, one row above the next, to resemble the shelving where bowling alleys keep unused balls. Put a sign over the top:"Balls for rent".

Create a large score card for the wall with construction paper. Next to each child's name, put ten boxes for the bowling frames, plus another space for the final score. Include fictitious scores or make guests work for real ones.

When it's time for the bowling pin piñata consider pairing it with bowling pin sippers. Arrange a few on one end of each table, allowing one for each guest. When the piñata breaks, let each child stuff his or her sipper with treats for a very different take on the goody bag full of candy!

Food

Bowling brings to mind all-American fare, and no bowling birthday party would be complete without a shake and a side order of fries! Consider some of these alley favorites when planning the menu for your kid's bowling party:

• Hot dogs – older kids may appreciate chili and onions, but everyone will love the ketchup, mustard, and relish.
• Burgers – let guests pile these high with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and pickles.
• Fries – have plenty of ketchup on hand for this perennial favorite.
• Onion Rings – bake or broil these for that perfect crunch with a healthy flair.
• Pizza – who doesn't love pizza? Provide ranch dressing on the side for dipping.
• Ice Cream Sundaes – a sundae bar is a treat they'll love! Offer hot fudge, whipped cream, and a cherry for the top. Crushed candies are always an add-on hit.
• Milkshakes – top off your fare with the ultimate in retro-dining! Blend ice cream and milk together and top with whipped cream – there won't be leftovers in sight!

For a healthy take on the theme, try some of these kid-friendly bowling party ideas:

Melon balls: Slice a cantaloupe or honey dew melon in half, carefully scooping out the seeds. Using a melon-baller, scoop out round pieces of the flesh and serve them in the shell of the melon. For easy variety, toss a few grapes into the mix.

For a loose interpretation of the ball-and-pin theme, serve carrot, cucumber, celery, or other veggie sticks along with grape tomatoes. Provide a zesty dip that is as lively as your guest list.

The high roller of your food table is, of course, the cake. Throw a strike with one of these simple ideas that will have even a novice decorator scoring high!

Cupcake bowling balls: You can't have a bowling birthday party without bowling balls, and here's a delicious way to put one in the hands of each of your guests! First, bake cupcakes according to package directions. After they've cooled completely, ice them smooth with chocolate icing or vanilla tinted with black decorator dye. Slightly mound frosting over the top to evoke a rounded ball shape. Once the cupcakes have been iced, snip a small corner off of a plastic bag and fill with white icing. Pipe three small dots on each ball to give the effect of finger holes, and you're ready to roll!

If you're slightly more ambitious in the kitchen, here's another bowling party idea.

Bake a 9x13" cake (using two boxes of cake mix) OR a 12x18" cake (you'll need three boxes for this one). Once it has cooled completely, slice the cake down the middle long-ways into two equal halves. Coat the top of one half with white icing, and then carefully place the other half on top of the iced one. Trim the two layer cake into the shape of a bowling pin by taking off a bit of the two bottom corners and shaping the neck and head of the pin. (It may be useful to cut a paper form in the correct dimensions to place on the top of the cake to guide your knife). Ice completely in white. Dye a small amount of icing red and pipe an accent band around the neck of the pin. There will be plenty of room on the body of the pin to write birthday wishes for your little Kingpin so make enough red icing to personalize your cake!

The perfect accent to your bowling birthday party cake is this set of bowling candles. You can arrange the ball and six pins any way you'd like.

Party Favors

For the perfect ending to your bowling birthday party, give bowling favor boxes to your guests. Each brightly colored box includes several nostalgic bowling favorites: a bowling pin keychain, a team shirt notepad, crayons, a glow stick, stickers, and a mini gumball machine.

To add something extra, mini bowling party game sets are affordable enough to send home with everyone. Including all ten pins (1") and a metal bowling ball, it's one bowling party idea they won't be able to put down for days!

 

Thank You Notes

Be sure to thank everyone who made your bowling birthday party a high scoring event! You can send bowling thank you notes to everyone on your team, or for a clever alternative, cut round balls out of black construction paper and write your message in white chalk. Showing your gratitude will end your game with a perfect strike!

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