Wednesday, 14 June 2017

Snooker, a Cheap and Fun All Weather Family Activity


A face framed with a snooker triangle
I don't know about you, but we really struggle sometimes to think of new ideas for places to go on rainy days. Sometimes, even in the summer, it seems to rain for days and days and boredom sets in for everybody. I think, as a family, it's important to try to get out of the house as much as possible, in order to get away from all the distractions. Everyone relaxes more outside the home; the grown ups can't think about housework, DIY and other chores and the screentime thing doesn't have to be an issue with the children, so everyone wins. This doesn't have to be a 'dad and lad' activity, but for us it definitely was, as part of the 'Please bring the boy back when he's tired' initiative. Thus, the boys took the photos. *sigh*


At our local leisure centre, you can take part in any number of different activities, for a relatively low fee. Leisure centres are a bit like libraries, we sometimes forget they are there, accept for one or two specific services that we may need. If you look a little deeper, however, you can find so much more than just the usual family swimming trip or softplay room. We chose snooker, because I wanted to show that Leisure Centres aren't just for the ultra-sporty and everyone can find an activity to suit them. Bonus points if you can work out what setting Phil pressed to make this happen...

Boy holding a snooker ball.

Leisure centres generally have pretty good disabled access and facilities, particularly the council-run ones, like the one the boys went to. Prices are pretty reasonable too. Most activities here seem to be around the £4 - £5 mark. The snooker was £4 per hour, so I booked two hours, as apparently it takes a while to play a frame (?). I thought they might be bored, but L was absolutely buzzing when he got home. He loved it so much. Having one to one time with his dad is something he always enjoys, but I think having a shared activity that neither of them were very good at, made it even more fun! Can we call this shot art?

Boy chalking a snooker cue

So the boys are very keen to go again and I am all for it. It means that they can have a change from their weekly 'Please exercise that boy' hikes and they don't have to get wet if the weather decides to go all British on them. It occurred to me that snooker is actually quite sociable, so if you are in a situation where you want to get to know your teenager a bit better, or maybe just want to bond a little, there's two hours of opportunity for tech-free conversation. Not bad for £8! Next time you take the children swiming or to soft play, find out what else is available, you might find something you all learn to love! To finish, here's one that's almost in focus. Next time they want to try a new activity, I might suggest lessons on mobile phone photography!

Small boy standing next to a full size snooker table.

Snooker is relaxing and challenging. A great way to connect with your preteens and beyond.

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3 comments

  1. Good price for a good game, I think the triangle frame should be used for all photos. Great review XD

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  2. I didn't realise they had snooker tables in leisure centres, I've seen pool tables before but I thought snooker tables were just in snooker halls, where certain people, as older teenagers, bunked off school to go to (the least he could have done is to have made a successful career out of it!). When we went to Center Parcs, my daughter wanted to play tennis, so we duly booked a court but I wasn't looking forward to it, all that running around, I wasn't sure my knees could take it but I think I enjoyed it the most, out of the three of us. Plus it's great to spend quality bonding time with your family, no matter what you're doing

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