Easy! Plastic Bottle Bowling (for Seniors)
In this article, we’ll introduce lots of ideas for a “bowling game using plastic bottles.” Bowling is a game that really gets everyone excited.
But to be honest, resetting the fallen pins can be a hassle.
Here are some ideas to make that cleanup easy.
We also have games that use a folding fan, as well as fun activities where you roll the ball like in gateball.
You can use a desk and sit in a chair, or kick with your feet.
Please choose activities that suit the condition and abilities of older adults.
- [For Seniors] Exciting! Ball-Based Recreation
- [For Seniors] Introducing Fun Crafts Made with Plastic Bottle Caps
- [For Seniors] From Games to Crafts: A Complete Guide to Paper Cup Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Enjoyable While Seated! Ball Exercises and Recreation
- [For Seniors] Collection of Pet Bottle Cap Puzzle Challenges
- [Sports] Recreational games using a ball [Play]
- [For Seniors] Simple Recreational Activities You Can Enjoy While Seated
- [For Seniors] Have Fun! A Collection of Group Game Recreation Ideas
- Recommended Indoor Exercises for Seniors
- For Seniors: Enjoy Every Day! A Collection of Senior Recreation Ideas
- [For Seniors] Enjoyment at Day Care: A Roundup of Games and Recreational Activities
- [For Seniors] Handmade Game Ideas You Can Enjoy
- [For Seniors] Easy to try. Fun, crowd-pleasing recreation
Easy! Plastic Bottle Bowling: For Seniors (1–10)
Bowling played on a desk
Introducing tabletop bowling that you can even play while seated.
With simple adjustments—like switching the ball to a rubber one—it becomes a game that’s easy for older adults to enjoy.
This time, we’ll show you how to play bowling on a desk.
Set up plastic bottle pins on a desk or table, then roll a ball to knock them down.
The key is to add weights inside the bottles.
That way, even if the ball hits them, they won’t fall over easily, working like roly-poly toys.
Depending on the table height, it can be played while sitting in a chair, making it accessible for wheelchair users as well.
It’s a great way to encourage interaction among participants.
Colorful decorative bowling
Let’s decorate empty plastic bottles in colorful ways and turn them into bowling pins.
Put things like colored tape and craft pom-poms inside the bottles.
If you add small bells, they’ll make a cute sound when the pins fall over.
You can also have fun by using face-part stickers on each bottle to give every pin a different face.
Decorate the caps with masking tape or stickers, too.
Craft activities use the fingers, which stimulate and activate the brain.
Imagining the finished product as you create it also serves as brain training and is said to help prevent dementia.
It’s a project that’s fun to make and fun to use for bowling.
Bowling under the chair
It might be an even more fun game if there are obstacles between the pins and the rolling ball.
In bowling, you watch the pins closely and roll the ball while controlling it so they fall, right? This time, let’s set up chairs as obstacles! Roll the ball toward the plastic-bottle pins you can see through the legs of the four-legged chairs.
If you hit the pins when you can’t see them clearly, you might feel an even greater sense of accomplishment than with regular bowling.
And even missing the pins could make things exciting.
Since you can roll the ball while seated in a chair, it should be approachable for older adults as well.
It’s a bowling game full of creative twists—give it a try!
Easy! Plastic Bottle Bowling: For Seniors (11–20)
Hanging bowling
Back in the Showa era, bowling was incredibly popular.
Many seniors probably enjoyed bowling, too.
At an actual bowling alley, the pins are lowered from above and set in place before you throw the ball, right? You can realistically recreate that by attaching strings to plastic-bottle pins.
Attach a string to the cap of each of the ten plastic bottles.
When the game ends, pull up the ten strings together from above the pins.
The mechanism will neatly reset the ten bottles into a triangular formation.
The key is adjusting the height and position of the strings that suspend the bottles from above.
It should also bring back fond memories of bowling.
Bowling under the blue sky
Watching older adults enjoy recreational activities makes me feel happy too.
However, when it comes to physical activities like calisthenics or exercise, the number of seniors who can participate can be limited.
So this time, here’s a bowling idea tailored for seniors who find it difficult to move their bodies.
Bowling usually involves holding a ball with your hand and rolling it using arm strength.
For those who have difficulty moving their arms or hands, how about making a ramp out of cardboard, placing the ball on it, and letting it roll? With a ramp-based setup, even those who have trouble moving their hands or arms may find it easier to try bowling.
With a bit of ingenuity, seniors can enjoy it too.
Upside-down bowling
Some day service centers and care facilities incorporate bowling into their recreational activities.
Many places use plastic bottles instead of pins, but have you ever found that they don’t fall over easily even when the ball hits them? When pins don’t topple in bowling, it can take away from the fun.
A recommended method is to place the plastic bottles upside down.
Normally, you’d set them with the base down, but try placing them with the opening facing down.
Just this small change will make them much easier to knock over with the ball.
If you put a little water in the bottles, it acts as a weight and increases the difficulty.
Once everyone gets used to it, try gradually raising the difficulty and enjoy!
Demon Bowling Game
Let’s make bowling pins by putting tissue paper inside plastic bottles.
Tissue paper can be easily placed into empty plastic bottles, making this a perfect craft for older adults.
After adding the tissue paper, try sticking on stickers or facial features to the bottle.
You can make them into anime characters, or choose seasonal themes like oni for Setsubun.
Roll up some newspaper into a ball and try knocking the bottles down.
Playing with something you made yourself makes it even more fun.
Give it a try!