Once the biggest advantages of being a home owner is having a great neighborhood. Being surrounded by people who take pride in their home and their neighborhood creates a feeling of community. We believe there is immeasurable value in being active in your neighborhood.

Here are 10 great ideas to help you have fun with the people in your community:

1.  Connect on Social Media

We live in a world filled with technology. Why not use it to your advantage? This could be a great place to get information out to your neighbors, organize an event, or get great advice for local goods and services.

Your neighborhood might already have a Facebook group or be registered on the Nextdoor app, or it might be time to create a page and invite your neighbors.

2.   Have a Block Party

Block parties are making a comeback since their peak of popularity in the 1970’s. while your neighborhood may not allow you to shut down the street, you might consider asking your neighbors to meet at the local park.

When everyone pitches in to bring food, drinks, outdoor games, and their family, it’s a recipe for fun. While everyone is having fun, you will also be building a stronger community.

3.  Outdoor Movie Night

Portable projectors are more inexpensive and accessible than they have ever been. Grab a white sheet or find a wall to project a movie on, and invite your neighbors for a fun outdoor experience.

4.  Start an Arts & Crafts Group

For those people who have a talent or want to build one, starting a neighborhood arts and crafts group might be the perfect opportunity. We can forget to slow down to do the things we truly enjoy doing. Setting a regular time to meet with your fellow makers might just be the most effective way to get your crafting fix, while being neighborly.

5.  Recipe Exchange Pot Luck

Knowing what you want to make for dinner can be a challenge sometimes. Hosting a potluck and recipe exchange is a way to taste new dishes and add new recipes to your collection.

6.  Sidewalk Chalk Contest

This is a fun idea for kids and adults alike. Sidewalk chalk is inexpensive and can add a bit of temporary color to your neighborhood.

Fun outdoor prizes can be awarded for the best artwork. There could even be a theme to promote keeping the neighborhood clean, celebrate Earth Day, or add to the anticipation of an upcoming holiday or season.

7.  Host Game Night

While many people have a collection of friends on social media and spend their downtime playing games on their mobile devices, it just isn’t as good as the real thing.

Interact with your friends face to face, beating them in a friendly competition is just a bonus. If you know a few neighbors who would enjoy a game of cards, charades, trivia, or a board game … call them.

8.  Book Exchange

Is there a spot in your neighborhood where you could trade books with your fellow readers? A “take a book and leave a book” exchange could be a fun feature to add to the HOA office or a weather-proof outdoor box in the neighborhood.

9.  Community Service

The definition of being neighborly is helping those around you. Building a stronger community through service can be more rewarding than you might think. Research has shown that as humans mature into adulthood, they produce natural happiness neurotransmitters that fall into the categories of enkephalins, endorphins and dynorphins. In essence, giving makes you more happy.  

It may be time to get to know an elderly neighbor and help them with their groceries. Trim the neighbors’ trees or bushes when they aren’t able. Prepare a meal for a family who is grieving or has a family member in the hospital. You could even help a neighbor, just because it would make them smile.

10.  Play Dates & Parents’ Night Out

As parents, connecting to the other parents in your neighborhood can be beneficial for you and your kids. Having occasional play dates can help you and your children socialize. You could also work out a schedule with trusted neighborhood friends to take turns keeping the kids and having a night out with your spouse.

“The good neighbor looks beyond the external accidents and discerns those inner qualities that make all men human and, therefore, brothers.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

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