Seasonal Events

Children’s Outdoor Play

How many of us have heard people, particularly in the older generations, reminisce the times when they rode their bikes with their friends, climbed trees and scraped their knees, explored their neighbourhoods, and played outside until way after sunset? While these may be regarded as merely overly repeated sentiments, it is very reasonable to wish for this freedom, play, and safety. As a result of children playing outside less, they are now less active, addicted to devices, and rates of many various health issues have increased.

We want to encourage children play outside more and live the childhood that many of us used to have, and to do this, we have to provide a safe environment, friends, and freedom for them to explore. With various community events in your streets, children will get to know the people in the street and make friends who they can hang out with. When all the neighbours become connected through these events, everyone begins to look out for each other, and it automatically becomes safer for the children to play on the street freely. The events can encourage a culture of gathering together in our front yards to socialise, and children will become accustomed to playing outdoors. Soon, we will be travel back to times when parents have trouble getting the kids back inside off the street for dinner!

Educators have shared all of the different types of play that children should engage in for the maximum benefits to their health, growth, and development. Physical play, constructive play, dramatic/imaginative play, competitive play, and social/cooperative play are all types of play that they can definitely engage in when playing on the street with their neighbourhood friends. Through this, children can develop better gross motor skills, creativity, social skills, team work, expression of emotion, communication skills, sense of adventure, and many, many more.

Neighbourhood Connection

Once we get to know our neighbours around us, our streets can become safer, and we help each other and share resources when we need. Another benefit is that friendships are formed, and it can be fun to hang out with everyone in the community. It can be great to have a culture on a street where everyone comes out on Friday nights and weekends to interact with neighbours and have a good time.

Organising seasonal events in the school holidays may seem complicated, but if you already know some of your neighbours, these events can be very casual and easy to prepare for as everyone contributes a little to make it work. For example, street Easter egg hunts are where each household hides the amount of eggs they would for their own children in their front yard, and all the children go from yard to yard to search for the eggs.

These events bring people together and create opportunities for interaction and closer connections. Particularly during Covid19 restrictions when we couldn’t visit friends easily, inviting friends from next door or across the street for drinks on the driveway was an amazing way get some healthy social interaction and laugh during the difficult times. If you would like to know more about the specific events we have organised before, and how you could get started on your own street, check out the related stories below!