Summer Games for Kids: Bowling with Coconuts {Fun-A-Day!}

Add the coconut bowling fun to your list of summer activities for preschoolers and kindergarten kids. It’s perfect for your summer camp plans, or as part of your next ocean theme.

No matter when you try it, bowling with coconuts is a memorable experience. It’s unique and likely to keep the kids engaged for quite some time because of that! Plus, you can make some simple tweaks to the game based on your students’ needs.

As the kids are using a coconut “bowling ball” to play, they’re also practicing a variety of early learning skills. All while having fun and playing with their peers.

child setting up and playing game with text that reads coconut bowling

Related: Homemade Games for Kids

This fun summer bowling game first came about during our Aloha Summer Camp back in 2013! It’s one of those activities that came about pretty naturally, with the preschoolers leading the charge!

During this camp, we really got into coconuts (both figuratively and literally). We painted with them, broke them open, explored the coconut milk, and tasted fresh coconut. In addition to all that, we used them to bowl!

When we first explored coconuts, a few children mentioned that coconuts looked a little like bowling balls. Those comments were the inspiration behind our this summer game!

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Coconut Bowling

Read below for the materials we used and what we did when bowling with coconuts. I’ll even share a few ways to extend the coconut fun.

Please keep in mind that you can make adjustments based on your own preferences, as well as the ages and needs of your students!

How to Prep the Bowling with Coconuts Activity

Start off by grabbing any supplies you’ll need. Here’s what we used (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):

Coconuts
Empty plastic bottles with lids
Water
Liquid watercolors or food coloring

That’s all you need for the basic coconut bowling activity. If you decide to change things up a bit, you might want a few additional materials, like:

Permanent markers
Painter’s tape
Chalk
Long blocks or pieces of wood
Mini orange cones

Once you have the supplies ready to go, it’s time to prep! You might even have your students help with this part, if it’s appropriate. My son helped me with our original iteration of the coconut bowling game. Here’s what to do:

Add water to your bottles. Put a drop or two of blue food coloring or liquid watercolors into the water for an “ocean” effect.
Make sure your tops are securely shut.
Set up the bottles in a V formation.

preschooler placing coconut in front of homemade bowling pins for game

My son was highly entertained about making the water blue, convinced I was somehow trying to trick the other kids. “It’s okay, Mama, I won’t tell them it’s not water from the ocean!”

And now you’re ready to have the kids come play! We used 6 bottles, but you can add more or take a few away at your discretion.

Coconut Bowling Directions

Well, the rules of bowling with coconuts line right up with . . . bowling! Have the kids aim to roll the coconut towards the bottles of water, seeing how many they can knock down.

Really, that’s about it. Of course, the kids are going to go about this in their own individual ways. Some will use both hands, a few might try with one hand, and you might even have some children who want to try and kick the coconut. You get to decide if that’s okay or not.

child jumping up and down, excited while playing coconut bowling game

When we first did this, some of the children wanted to keep the game as “traditional” as possible, with the pins set up just right. Others created different designs with the bottles, and two even worked together to create a kind of coconut obstacle course. Some of the kids were intent on rolling the coconuts like a bowling bowl, while others tended to just throw the coconuts near the bottles!

After some very thorough tosses of the coconuts, a few cracks became apparent. When we were exploring the coconuts earlier in the week, I’d used a hammer to break them open. After the cracks appeared during bowling, though, it just took a few well placed slams to the pavement for the coconuts to open. There were giggles of delight as the coconuts broke and coconut milk splashed along the sidewalk. Our game of coconut bowling definitely ended with a bang!

Additional Ideas for Your Coconut Bowling Activity

As you can see above, my students enjoyed coming up with different variations on the coconut bowling idea. I loved that they were so willing to think outside the box!

child setting up items for coconut bowling game outside during summer camp

You and your students can definitely do the same. In fact, I bet your students will come up with something completely different. But if you’re looking for some ideas for tweaking the summer game, here you go:

Number the bottles and challenge the kids to knock down specific numbers.
Create different patterns with the bottle “pins” and encourage the children to help.
Use chalk or painter’s tape to draw lines the kids can roll the coconuts down.
Make a little obstacle course for the coconuts using chalk, painter’s tape, or rocks.
Set up long blocks along the side of the coconut bowling “alley” to keep the coconut on course.
Break the children up into teams and play against each other, keeping score along the way.

Have you ever tried bowling with unusual objects, like coconuts? If so, what did you use? Tell me all about it in the comments below.

More Coconut Activities for Kids

If coconut bowling is a hit with your students, give some of these activities a try next:

Painting with Coconuts
Rainbow Coconut (How to Dye Shredded Coconut)
Coconut 5 Senses Activity
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Name Craft
Coconut Cloud Dough

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Lesson Plans

Planning meaningful lessons for students week after week while balancing other teaching responsibilities and a personal life can be a daunting task. That’s where my sister site, Preschool Teacher 101, comes in to save you time! We have hundreds of fully-developed early childhood resources ready for you.

Click on the image below to get our Chicka Chicka Boom Boom lesson plans: