Read on to learn how to build community with your neighbors during this Coronavirus quarantine. Get to know your neighbors and build community with them while practicing social distancing. 
This is such a crazy time right now isn’t it? In a business all about opening your home up and celebrating with others, this isolation situation is kind of scary. But don’t worry, I think there are still so many ways we can celebrate together while being apart.
Now more than ever, thinking of the greater good is all that matters.
If you live in a neighborhood this is the perfect time to get to know your neighbors. At least from afar. You’re spending more time at home and so are they. Maybe you haven’t taken the time to introduce yourself or get to know them. Maybe you’ve just recently moved and don’t know anyone on your street yet.
Well hopefully these ideas today will help you to get to know them and build a community among your neighbors.
10 Ways to Build Community with Neighbors During a Quarantine
Driveway Dance Parties
I follow a fun page on Facebook, called Styled as a Mother, and she posted about her kids putting on a driveway concert for their neighbors. I thought it was such a cute idea.
If you don’t have any musicians in your family, then plan a driveway dance party. Get the stereo system out (do people still have those) and blast music while dancing in your driveway. Invite your neighbors to do the same thing.
Get glow sticks or lights to make it more of fun atmosphere and host it just as the sun is setting. What a memorable way to get to know your neighbors while moving and grooving.
Put Together a Neighborhood Porch Decorating Contest
Right now we need things that can make us happy. And decorating your front porch for spring is an easy start. The fun pastel colors will bring some cheer to the whole neighborhood.
Make a ballot and have your neighbors go around and vote on their favorite front porch. Send out the ballot with some fun categories like most colorful, best decorations, or most ready for the Easter bunny.
Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt
There are a ton of age appropriate scavenger hunts listed on Pinterest. Print a bunch out and deliver around your neighborhood to the houses with kids and have their parents time them during the scavenger hunt.
Post the times on a neighborhood Facebook page and give a prize to the person who did it the fastest. The prize doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Maybe just a roll of toilet paper will work?
Write and Deliver Letters
Want to kill two birds with one stone? Get your kids to work on their writing and get to know your neighbors with an old school pen pal. Have your kids write letters to all of the neighbors on your street and deliver them to their mailboxes or front porch.
Encourage the neighbors to write back and see what amazing things you learn from your neighbors letters.
Host a Sidewalk Chalk Contest
Be sure to find a few dry sunny days to host a neighborhood wide sidewalk chalk contest. Make a theme for the art and then go wild with your chalk art.
Walk around the neighborhood to see what creations everyone came up with to fit the theme.
Make it a contest by putting a small tally mark on the driveway you think is the best creation. I think it would be so fun to decorate a big sign to place in the yard of the winner.
Organize an Exchange
Tire of being cooped up in your house with your current toys, books, or puzzles? Host an exchange!
Tell your neighbors a specific day and time to place their toys, books, or puzzles they’d like to exchange on their front porch. Then everyone can walk around and find something new to entertain them.
Just be sure to wipe down and clorox things off before placing them on your porch to avoid any germ transfers. And don’t forget to put your name on whatever you set out so you can hopefully get it back when the quarantine is over.
There’s nothing like a new toy, book, or puzzle to break up the monotony of what you currently have in your home, and hopefully it will help pass the time quicker.
Go Hunting
I’ve been seeing the “Shamrock Hunt” idea floating all around Facebook the last couple of days and it’s great. The idea is that your kids color a shamrock picture and put it up in your front window. Then you go walking around the neighborhood to see how many shamrocks you can find.
Well, the shamrock works great on St. Patrick’s Day, but if you want to use something else I recommend using a picture of something that represents your neighborhood. For example, if you live on Horseshoe Street, print out a picture of a horseshoe to color.
You can send out the instructions or coloring page on your neighborhood Next Door page or Facebook page.
Play Telephone
Like, with actual telephones. Pick a silly phrase and call your neighbors to pass the phrase around and see what it ends up being at the end.
This may take a little more organizing, but by using a loop back phone tree system it is totally possible. Whoever started the telephone train will need to end it as well and publicize what the phrase was in the end.
This may be a great learning experience for your kids to see how unclear things can get when passed on from person to person.
Play “Chopped”
Set a few ingredients for lunch or dinner on your neighbors front porch and challenge them to make a meal with what you’ve provided. Such a great way to learn who really knows how to cook and build flavors.
Maybe take turns each day giving food to different people along your street and see how well everyone does by posting their meals and recipes on your neighborhood Facebook page or to a neighborhood wide email distribution.
Neighborhood-wide Workout
Get everyone out in their driveways and moving. Designate a workout leader or take turns down the street with different exercises everyone can do together. Such a great way to get the whole community moving, doing something together but not touching each other.
How Do You Build Community?
How are you going to use this time of more togetherness, while being apart to build your community? I hope some of these ideas at least get you out of your house and help you to get to know your neighbors a little better.
There really isn’t anything better than a connected and thriving neighborhood. Shout out to all my former Coral Burst neighbors that became like family because of how closely our community was.
If you have any other great ideas to do with your neighbors during this time be sure to put them in the comments below or DM me on Instagram. I love hanging out over there.
Good luck to you and your family as we navigate this very uncertain time. I hope we can all look back on this and think we overreacted. Or maybe come out on the other side of it more connected and understanding of each other.
