CANDY BOWL - Easy and Fun Underhand Rolling PE Game

Candy “Bowl” is a must-play easy and fun underhand rolling PE Game. Get your elementary PE students energized and engaged with this unique version of bowling that focuses on the key skill of ROLLING.

CANDY BOWL – Rolling Game

Full Lesson Plan PDF

This exciting activity puts a fun, fast-paced twist on the classic game of bowling. Students will have fun pretending they are at a giant bowling alley, rolling and bowling for “candy.”

This easy-to-play whole class team game encourages skill development (ROLLING) and teamwork too.

It’s always a big hit and my fifth grade students love this game just as much as my kindergarten students because it is non-stop action and loads of fun!

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

For this game you will need:

6-8 HULA HOOPS
12 BOWLING PINS
Bucket or Bowl Filled with 20-40 BEAN BAGS
12 POLY SPOTS
4 GATOR SKIN BALLS

GAME SET-UP

First, divide your students into 4 teams. Send them to 4 separate corners of the gym, giving each team a ball. Lay 6-8 hula hoops down in a row in the center of the gym.

Then place 6 Poly Spots in a line on both sides of the row of hula hoops. Place one bowling pin, upright on each Poly Spot. Finally, place the bucket filled with bean bags in the center of the gym or off to the side – whatever works best for you.

GAME DIRECTIONS – How to Play

OBJECT OF THE GAME: The object of the game is to roll the balls and knock down the bowling pins and/or get the ball to land inside one of the hula hoops.

I tell my students that we are “Bowling for Candy” today, pretending that the gym is one giant bowling alley.

When the game begins, the first person in line for each team rolls the ball into the giant bowling lane.

If the student doesn’t knock down a pin or land their ball inside a hula hoop with their roll, they quickly retrieve their ball and give it to the next person in line on their team. However, if they knock a pin down, they quickly pick the pin back up, give the ball to their next teammate and grab 1 piece of candy (bean bag) from the bucket/bowl.

If their ball lands inside of a hula hoop, they get to grab 3 pieces of candy and bring it back to their team. The game is over when all of the candy is gone and the team that collects the most candy at the end of the game is the WINNER!

GAME TEACHING TIPS

Here are a few tips that help to make this game even more awesome to play.

TIP 1: If you don’t have bowling pins, you can easily use empty 1 and 2 Liter Pop Bottles from the Dollar Store. I actually prefer using the pop bottles with the younger kids because they are lighter and easier for them to be successful.
TIP 2: Depending on the age of the students, choose a line on both ends of the gym that the students must stand behind when they release their rolling balls.
TIP 3: I usually play two or three rounds of this game – giving the students an opportunity to set goals & improve their scores each round. This game is also a great way to easily assess your students after you’ve taught the skill of rolling.

Bring the excitement of this dynamic team game to your gymnasium and watch your students have a blast while learning important ROLLING, TEAMWORK and other key PE skills! A great way to assess your student’s skills before, during, or after teaching a unit on “rolling.”

GREAT NEWS! You can snag your very own PDF of this awesome 2-Page PE Lesson Plan RIGHT HERE!