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Team Bowling

Play a cooperative bowling game. Agree on the order, take turns knocking down the pins, and reset them together while practicing waiting, teamwork, and shifting between excitement and calm.

  • 2½ years
  • Some prep
  • At home
  • About 15 minutes
Focus
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Developmental benefits

  • Social/Emotional：Agreeing on an order, waiting for turns, and completing a shared goal gives your child practice cooperating with other players.
  • Cognitive：Switching from rolling the ball to resetting the pins gives your child practice moving from one part of a familiar activity to the next.

Preparation

What You’ll Need

  1. 1

    A small ball

  2. 2

    several empty bottles

  3. 3

    dot stickers

  4. 4

    fill the bottles with water for stability and place one dot on the floor for each pin position

Step 1

Everyone Wants a Turn

Explain that the goal is to knock down all the pins. Bring in a penguin toy and ask, “Everyone wants to bowl. What should we do?” Agree on a turn order and let one player bowl at a time.

What to notice

  • Politely asks the penguin to wait when it tries to cut in line Emotional & Behavioral Self-Regulation
  • Uses a short sentence to tell the penguin about the turn order Communicating and Speaking

Tips

  • Let the penguin pretend to cut in line. Watch your child’s response and help them use polite words to ask the penguin to wait.
  • The small disagreement gives your child a reason to state the turn rule instead of grabbing for the ball.
  • If your child is unsure what to say, invite them to tell the penguin the order everyone agreed on.
  • Repeat the turn order during the game whenever it is forgotten.

Step 2

Knock Down the Pins Together

Begin bowling in the agreed order. Encourage the players to combine their turns to knock down every pin. If your child wants to keep the ball, restate the pattern: “You roll once, I roll once. We’re playing together.”

What to notice

  • Works with the other players until all the pins are down Relationships with Other Children
  • Rolls or throws the ball toward the bottles Gross Motor

Tips

  • Notice the action specifically: “That roll went straight and had lots of power.”
  • When all the pins fall, name the shared result: “Everyone helped, and we knocked them all down together.”

Step 3

Reset for the Next Round

After each round, invite your child to reset the pins: “We rolled together. Now shall we set them up together?” Treating cleanup as part of the game keeps the cooperation going and creates a calmer pause before the next round.

What to notice

  • Considers another player’s turn, such as letting the penguin go next Emotional Functioning
  • Switches from excited bowling to quietly resetting the pins Cognitive Self-Regulation (Executive Functioning)

Tips

  • Resetting together can help your child notice other players’ needs and support #SE-EmF.
  • When the game is exciting, waiting and changing tasks may become harder.
  • A short reset job helps your child slow down before returning to turns.
  • If your child resists resetting, place some pins yourself and leave a few for them: “When these are standing, the next round can begin.”

Better Parenting Content Team · Updated September 11, 2026