The start of a new year also means the start of another bowling season! Bowling is a great indoor activity and a perfect way to stay active during the cold winter months. This will be Caitlin’s 5th year in the Miracle League’s bowling program. The program is one day a week for 10 weeks and goes from January to March. With registration the kids get a Miracle League T-Shirt, rental bowling shoes and an hour of bowling time. I’ve enjoyed watching Caitlin and her friends develop their bowling skills over the years. There are also loads of other benefits bowling has to offer that can help special needs kids to excel!
Excitement overflows at the first bowling session of the season! There are lots of hugs and warm greetings as we catch up with friends we haven’t seen since last season. Caitlin has a few friends that she’s bowled with the past couple years and we see many familiar faces. But when we first joined, we didn’t know anybody and it felt intimidating and uncomfortable to be in a group that seemed to know each other for years. I think through this experience, we’ve made progress in making new friends and introducing ourselves to other people. It can be hard though because we are focused on our child, and taking our focus away to socialize is of lower priority. But I know how isolating it can feel so I try to say hello when I see someone that looks like they are new and might not know anyone.
Caitlin has increasingly become more outgoing and it’s been fun to watch her progress. I think bowling is more of a social outing for some people and that is right up Caitlin’s alley (no pun intended!) At bowling she frequently wanders around striking up conversations with anyone she runs into! Bowling also gives us another opportunity to spend time with our immediate and extended family. Caitlin’s brother, grandparents and uncle frequently join us and we all take turns helping Caitlin bowl.
Christmas just passed and Caitlin got a new bowling ball! She has been using her brother’s old 7 pound ball. The problem with that ball is that it is too light so it would either not knock down some of the pins or it would veer off in another direction on a slightly uneven lane. So this season she will be using a 10 pound ball. We usually carry the ball for her from the ball return to the lane. But sometimes she wants to carry the ball by herself. So I’m hoping the new ball won’t be too heavy for her.
After we carry the ball from the ball return to the lane, we put it on a ball ramp and she pushes it down. We’ve let her try putting her fingers in the holes of the ball and throwing it on her own. She just doesn’t have the strength to get enough momentum for the ball to get to the end of the lane (or it goes extremely slow all the way down!). With more strength and practice she might be able to do it one day but for now the ball ramp is just right for her skill level. I did see this ball pusher online the other day. Maybe this is something she can advance to one day!
In addition to strength, hand-eye co-ordination is really important in bowling. For her, where the co-ordination comes into play is in lining up the direction of the ball ramp to the pins. It is easier to get the ball to go straight since she uses the ball ramp. It also helps that we use a lane with bumpers. She often acts silly, pushing and pulling the ramp in all directions. But she has improved in helping to point the ramp in the right direction and we will continue to help her improve on that this season.
I don’t know about you, but I have no clue how to keep score in bowling! It’s doesn’t seem necessary to learn when the computer does all the work or you! During one game, our bowling friend was learning how to take score. He would diligently mark his score on a piece of paper and then add up the number of pins as he completed each frame. What a fantastic and untraditional way to practice both math and writing skills!
The bowling alley is an abundance of visual and audio stimulation. Our league does the glow bowling where they dim the lights and turn on multi-colored, flashing, blinking and glowing lights. Additionally, music and announcements blare loudly through the overhead speakers. Loud voices cheering, yelling and sometimes crying all add to the lively atmosphere. That can be a lot for a special needs kid to take in and process. From what I’ve observed, the lights have not caused issues for anyone in the group. We’ve been told that if it’s bothersome to let the co-ordinator know and they would shut it off. Some kids wear noise-canceling headphones to drown out the sounds. Some kids may be too overwhelmed to bowl and choose to sit out for a frame or two, and that is ok! But most everyone loves the party atmosphere of glow bowling.
The encouragement and positive reinforcement for the bowling participants is the icing on the cake for this terrific activity. Shouts of congratulations can be heard and hi-fives seen at every lane. We root for every strike and spare and sympathize with gutter balls! Every effort is celebrated! This positive behavior has helped Caitlin to learn good sportsmanship and appropriate social responses. And it also helps to increase self-esteem and confidence. It’s so neat to hear a child yell “I did it!” or see a child’s face light up when they realize their bowling accomplishment. At random times, the co-ordinator will announce that it is a “Strike Zone” or “Spare Zone”. This means that if you get a strike or a spare during the selected frame, you can pick from a variety of prizes. What a fun way to encourage kids to do their best and boost their confidence! There are many neat prizes to choose from that have been generously donated.
Finally, at the end of the season, all the participants are presented with a medal for a job well done. They wear them proudly!
JoAnn’s journey as a parent and caregiver to an individual with disabilities started when her daughter was born pre-maturely with multiple health issues resulting in cognitive, physical and speech disabilities. Over the years, JoAnn discovered that recreation, travel and social experiences can bring happiness and relief to a life that is often stressful and frustrating. She loves to seek out adaptive, accessible and fun activities for her daughter and the whole family to enjoy. She started the blog www.OurSpecialFunOasis.com to share her uplifting stories and positive ideas to help and to inspire others.