(photos by Adam Skoczylas) Jennifer Kasparian talks to daughter, Natalya, 3, at the Fort Myer Bowling Center Tuesday morning.

The ball rolled and rolled and rolled, eventually reaching the pins and causing seven of them to tumble over. The bowler then finished his first frame with a spare. He scored a strike on his next frame.

This may not be a world shattering start to a game for most people, but it’s pretty good for a three-year-old. The rack and bumpers in the gutters help when the group of bowlers are all preschoolers.

Mary Donnelly brought her son Anthony, 3, her son Shane, 3, and her daughter, Annamaria — yes, you guessed it, 3 — to bowl as part of Army Community Service’s Family Advocacy Program.

‘‘They were excited,” she said of her triplets. ‘‘Every Wednesday there’s a developmental play group. It’s like a little preschool.”

Donnelly showed great herding instincts with her brood as she shepherded them about the lanes with a minimum of fuss.

Lisa Yenter of ACS said the play group is held every week at Fort Myer’s Memorial Chapel from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. On the last Tuesday of every month the parents and kids have an outing.

‘‘We do lots of fun things,” she said. ‘‘It gives military moms a chance to get together with their peers. A lot of moms come here [Washington] and don’t know anyone. We’re so spread out here. It gives them a chance to meet other moms or dads.”

Moms occasionally had to display the speed of a sprinter combined with the agility of an outfielder as they had to at times pick their child up on a run and hustle them towards the restroom.

‘‘Three-year-olds,” one quickly moving mom smiled as she briskly carried her charge away before her game was called on account of ‘‘rain.”

Debbie Schwab brought Jack, 5, and Miles, 1, to the outing.

‘‘It gives us time to connect with other military families,” she said. ‘‘These outings are amazing. Lisa does a great job. It’s good to do it with other people because we watch each other’s kids.”

(photos by Adam Skoczylas) Two of the Donnelly triplets, Shane and Anthony, 3, wait expectantly for a ball during an ACS sponsored outing for military moms and their children at the Fort Myer bowling center.

Clarissa Gallo brought along Joshua, who will be 3 next week, and Nicholas, 19 months. Nicholas took one look at the lanes when he entered and attempted to go dashing down them. His mom intercepted him and the young lad objected strenuously. He cried his little head off.

‘‘It’s very structured,” she said as she attempted to distract Nicholas with some crackers. ‘‘Every week there’s a theme. Sometimes it’s snow or horses, once in the fall it was leaves. It teaches us little games to play. The other moms have ideas you may not have thought of. We swap ideas.”

Little Nicholas’s angst was soon assuaged by the treat and he went on to enjoy bowling. Next month the group plans to visit the natural history museum.