Do your kids love to bowl? Or maybe you don’t even know if they love to bowl because you haven’t wanted to shell out the money for a preschool-sized-potential-disaster-waiting-to-happen? Here is the perfect solution: the annual Kids Bowl Free Summer Bowling Program, available at four locations in Springfield, Missouri! There is absolutely no risk to let your kids try bowling, and it provides another fun outing option for the whole family, especially for a rainy day.
Each summer, you can sign your kids (eligible ages determined by each bowling alley, but at Sunshine Lanes it’s 18 and under) up to bowl two games every day during the summer (if you literally bowled every day, the savings are advertised at over $500 per child). And it’s actually legit – forgive me for being skeptical at some of these deals, but this program works!
- Start by going to the website (http://www.kidsbowlfree.com) and click on “Sign Up Now” to find the options for bowling alleys in Springfield. There are four options here: Andy B’s Entertainment, Enterprise Park Lanes, Lighthouse Lanes, and Sunshine Lanes. Whichever one you pick is the one that you have to stick with, but if you choose Sunshine Lanes or Enterprise Park Lanes, you can go to either one.
- Complete the registration form. It’s simple and short, and you can register up to six kids.
- You’ll get an email that confirms your registration, and that also suggests signing up for the Family Plan. It’s a one-time payment of $29.9 5 (2018) and includes two free games all summer long for up to four adults during the Kids Bowl Free hours (as long as you come with your kids, of course). The Family Pass is not required and you can also sign up anytime throughout the summer if you decide that you want to add it. We knew that we wouldn’t be able to take the kids very often and that they would require lots of help, so we chose to just let them bowl by themselves while we watched/assisted.
- When you arrive at the bowling alley, show them either your registration confirmation email or the app and they’ll click on the button that says “Print Coupons” so they can enter a code and allow you to play. They’ll assign you a lane, get you some shoes, and you’re free to bowl your two games!
TWO IMPORTANT THINGS: Check the Kids Bowl Free website for your particular bowling alley to see the available times. At Sunshine Lanes, the program was only available Monday – Friday from open (10:00 am) – early evening (5:00 – 7:00 pm, depending on the day). Keep in mind that the program is NOT an option on the weekends. Also, there is a small cost for shoe rental for each person bowling, unless you bring your own.
What You Need to Know:
- Registration is FREE!
- Shoe rental is required each time you bowl ($3 per child at Sunshine Lanes)
- Check the website for start and end dates (usually June 1 – August 31) and available times (at Sunshine Lanes, you can only bowl on the program on weekdays from mid-morning until early evening).
- Check your email for deals on the Family Pass – sometimes there are deals or discounts!
- You can download the free app for easier access to your coupons and registration confirmation for when you get to the bowling alley. If you use the app at the bowling alley, click on “Coupons” on the bottom of the page, allowing the person working to click on your kids’ names and confirm that they are part of the program.
- A Members Only Facebook page link is also available on the Kids Bowl Free website.
- You will need to re-register each year if you decide to sign up again.