5801

Bowling Party -6yr- Bowling Party Tips

Feb 2003

Pamela in Mastic , New York (United States)

Honorable Mention

For my daughters sixth birthday, she wanted to do a bowling party.

We send into school invitations for the whole class - to keep costs down, I used a printing program to printout "Powerpuff Girls"  ( Her theme) invitations and matching envelopes.

The local bowling alley offered packages starting at $11.95 per child which included everything (including invitations and thank yous) but the cake. The kids would bowl for one hour, and have pizza, cake , and open gifts during the last hour, The package includes a hostess , and a real bowling pin for the birthday child.

Her party went off without a hitch, but if you are considering this type of party here a few suggestions:  Make sure that you are paying for the amount of guests that show up, not a set number . We invited 20, 10 said they were coming, 5 declined and 5 never responded either way. Eleven kids actually came, so including my own three we had 14 children and paid only for those children. 

These parties are pricey, so make sure that you are not paying for children that are not there.  Ask about running a "coffee" tab - all the kids at our party were accompanied by their Moms and many of them got coffee from the snack bar. We set up a tab for "non alcoholic" drinks, and the parents were very appreciative that they could get a beverage. It’s a little extra that doesn’t cost very much that goes a long way ! 

Inquire about an extra lane for parents that may want to bowl also - many centers will offer  you a deal. The same goes for extra time for the kids.  Once they start and get the hang if it, the kids never want to stop. 

Have guests arrive at the bowling center about 15 minutes before your party is actually set to begin. Most places are on a tight schedule and small kids especially will take a while getting their bowling shoes on, picking out a ball, and settling in. You will probably start right on time, and this tip will let you get the most actual bowling time in . 

Remember to bring the "extras" - batteries for the camera, film if needed, a cake server, a lighter and candles for the cake, and scotch tape (to attach cards to gifts).  

Inquire about the balloon policy at the center you are using - our center had ceiling fans on and stressed that any balloons had to be secured tightly.  We used my daughter "silly sixpins " game to secure the balloons as centerpieces, and the guest each took one home with their goodybag. 

Don’t forget to tip your hostess ! Ours was a high school student who was really patient with the kids, and was very friendly. She moved the party along right on schedule, and made everything run smoothly. 

Keep your party under 20 kids - to many little ones gets very hectic and the kids have to wait too long before it is their turn to bowl. We had 3/4 kids in 4 lanes and this worked out beautifully. 

Ask your bowling center how many lanes you will get and how much it would be to get an extra lane if you think they are going to be too crowded. 

The kids all had a great time bowling, and its something I never would have thought to do  as a party idea.  The centers are very accomodating and kid friendly. We highly recommend bowling with the kids.

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