Finding time to do things together in the evening can be difficult when Mom and Dad are tired and the kids are rarely home at the same time. But if you can pull everyone together for just one night a week, having an evening out at the local bowling alley can be a fun activity that is not only good for family relationships, but that kind of resembles exercise, too.

Teamwork is an important family value. So many families these days consist of a few individuals living individual lives under the same roof. Perhaps it’s unavoidable that people will want to do their own things and have their own ambitions, and this independence can surely be healthy. On the other hand, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of family bonding, either. Even though it’s likely that you’ll all be playing against each other at the bowling alley, when it’s kids and adults mixed together, the competitive element is all but erased, and replaced with mutual support and cheering the other family members on. Younger siblings may ask for assistance from older ones, while one or both parents may be able to give advice that the kids will actually listen to for once. All of these things can help bring a family closer together.

You may think it sounds like a joke to refer to bowling as exercise, but if you haven’t been to the lanes in a while, just wait until the morning after your first time back. Sore muscles and overall tiredness are sure signs that you were working harder than you realized. Even those who are reasonably fit may find that bowling works a different set of muscles than they’re used to. In addition, there are the mental aspects of the game. Knocking pins down is not about luck; it’s a skill that requires a good eye and developing a mind for angles and curves. Practicing bowling can really help build good hand-eye coordination, which is excellent for people of all ages.

Real family time away from the television may happen less than you would like it to. A night at the bowling alley gives family members a chance to converse with each other in a casual setting, while staying active and having fun. Some alleys even run theme nights, and it might be interesting to pick up a schedule and see what’s available when. If you really get into it, find out if there’s any facility where families can play against each other, league style. Those sorts of leagues are usually very informal and non-competitive, and having everyone on the same team is great for family unity.

I’m usually the one who gets everyone together to go bowling, and in my experience, people complain about the idea of it at first, but once they get there they have a great time, and then it’s easier to get them to go again on subsequent weeks. If you can get your family in the weekly habit of this one activity, not only will you have something you’re all doing together out of the house, but it’ll be something that actually requires everyone to interact with each other. This makes a nice change from everyone hanging out on the Internet in their respective rooms, which so many of us are guilty of these days. It might seem corny at first, but bowling really is fun, and if it helps your family bond as well, then certainly it can’t be all that bad.