Make neighbors into friends with 5 steps that are easy, safe, and fun.

Do you know your neighbors?

When you walk around your neighborhood, how many people can you call by name?

If you’re like most people today, you only know a few of your neighbors, if any.

Pre-COVID, my husband and I tried to get to know our neighbors, and I wrote a post titled “Neighbors: Strangers or Friends?” describing our efforts, including a successful block party. Then, COVID struck… putting our plans on hold.

This spring, we moved to a new neighborhood. A neighborhood of brand-new houses. Therefore, the neighborhood is not only new to us, but to everyone. This created a fresh opportunity to get to know our neighbors.

In this post, we will explore why getting to know our neighbors is important and describe 5 easy steps to get acquainted, possibly making neighbors into friends. Or, at least, friendly neighbors.

Why is it important to know your neighbors?

Neighbors who know each other watch out for each other. When you don’t know your neighbor, you may not even know their name or how to contact them if you notice something amiss on their property. Knowing one another can make your neighborhood safer.

Neighbors who know each other are more likely to extend a helping hand. They notice when you’re ill and offer to take out and bring in the trash can or the mail. They are more likely to accept your help when they are in need. Helping others enhances everyone’s well-being.

Social isolation is a risk factor for physical and mental health, at a level similar to smoking, inactivity, or obesity. Knowing your neighbors can decrease feelings of isolation and loneliness.

When we moved to our new neighborhood, we determined that getting to know our neighbors would be a priority. The following steps describe the process we followed. It was easy, safe, and fun.

5 easy steps to make neighbors into friends:

Begin simply and take it one step at a time. The earlier you begin, the less awkward it will feel. But it’s never too late to start.

1.      Say hello, wave, smile, and greet each other.

This requires being out in your neighborhood. Take a walk. Sit on your porch. Use the common spaces. Take note of when people come and go and be present during these times if you can. Make your greetings friendly and genuine. Be natural. This opens the way to take the next step.

2.      Engage in safe conversation in safe spaces.

Introduce yourself and encourage others to do the same. This can be as easy as saying… “I don’t believe we’ve met; my name is…How long ago did you move here?”Look for common ground to discuss, such as the weather, local events, pets, and more.

3.      Plan a safe, simple gathering and invite your neighbors to attend.

We hosted a neighborhood get-acquainted get-together. We held it on a Sunday afternoon from 2 - 4 p.m., in broad daylight; it was not too short or long, and we kept it casual.  We made simple invitations, and walked the neighborhood two weeks before and handed them out. We were impressed with how happy our neighbors were to be invited and how many said they had thought of doing something similar.

4.      Provide opportunities to get acquainted during the event that feel safe and easy.

As guests arrived, we asked them to make a name tag with just their first name and street number, as we all live on the same street. We also asked them to fill in a sheet with full name, street number, cell number, and email address. I used this to make a contact sheet to share with everyone. Only one neighbor preferred not to share her cell number or email address.

We served make-your-own sundaes, lemonade, and iced tea. We had plenty of room to mingle and visit. Once everyone had finished eating, I gathered everyone for some simple introductions, saying their name, street number, and how long ago they moved to the neighborhood.

This was followed by four short icebreaker activities that involved people mixing up into smaller groups based on letters and months written on posters in the four corners of our great room. The instructions to regroup included the first letter of your name or the month you were born, etc. The icebreakers were easy, safe, and fun. They included sharing where you moved from, where you grew up, your favorite food to eat on your birthday, what you wanted to be when you grew up and whether you ever did that, and describing something you could teach others to do. Even the kids participated.

5.      Follow up and plan to continue building connections.

We were amazed and pleased by how much fun everyone had and how grateful they were to have gotten acquainted. We chatted about what we should do together next. There was definite agreement to do more throughout the year.

I have created the contact sheet and sent it to the neighbors. I’ve been practicing everyone’s names so when we see each other I can do more than wave; I can call them by name.

I’m quite certain we will do more neighbor get-togethers in the future, and we won’t be the only hosts.

Which step can you take to get to know your neighbors?

“Neighbors are people who are close to us, and friends are people who are close to our hearts. I like to think of you as my neighbor and my friend.”

~ (Mister) Fred Rogers

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