7 Simple Ways to Connect with Your Neighbors This Summer

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Do you want to connect with your neighbor but struggle for authentic ways to do so? These 7 simple ways to connect with your neighbor this summer can actually be used all year long. I pray these ideas will help you reach out to those God has placed in your space. Be brave, take a step of faith, and meet those around you. Who knows, you just might make a lifelong best friend?

Has your family connected with your neighbor lately? And, no, I’m not talking about jumping on their wi-fi! It gets too easy in our everyday lives just to stay within our homes and yards and not reach out to the people right night door. I have to admit that’s my tendency. I’m content just hanging out my my family, but I’ve also found great joy connecting with my neighbors down the street and right next door.

“In the grand scheme of things, relationships are much more important than bricks and mortar, and our neighborhoods are much more than collections of houses,” wrote authors Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon in their book, The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door. “As we began to reach out to our neighbors, we quickly discovered that the benefits were far-reaching. We ended up being cared for by our neighbors as much, if not more, as we cared for them. We began to experience what it’s like to have a strong support system right outside our front door. All of us have a need for a genuine community, and nothing beats the frequency, availability, and spontaneity of connecting deeply with others who live nearby.”

7 Simple Ways to Connect with Your Neighbors

1. Be friendly: 

Wave, offer help, strike up a conversation. When you see your neighbor heading out to check their mail, do the same and ask about their day.

Desperate for a way to slow down and connect, my friend Kristin Schell put an ordinary picnic table in her front yard, painted it turquoise, and began inviting friends and neighbors to join her. Life changed in her community, and she writes about it in her new book The Turquoise Table: Finding Community and Connection in Your Own Front Yard. What Kristin learned—and I have, too—is that the best first step is to be friendly and available.

2. Share treats with your neighbors: 

When we moved into our neighborhood a few of the neighbors stopped by with treats—and they all weren’t homemade. Even a bag of Oreos let us know that we were welcome. This simple friendly gesture also started a relationship as I did the same a few weeks later. This is a great opportunity to teach service to your children; have them help bake a batch of cookies or pick out treats at the store with you!

3. Host neighborhood events:

My friend Monica hosts a neighborhood barbecue every year. Another friend opens her home for a Christmas Tea. My friend Michele hosts a soup night the first Thursday every month. Closer to home, our neighborhood has a cul-de-sac fireworks show every year. Everyone prepares their own food, but we all hang out together and watch our kids have fun. There are countless ways to pull a neighborhood together; get creative and see what you can come up with!

4. Exercise with your neighbors: 

When I connected with one of my neighbors Tracey, she asked if I wanted to walk with her. There was no need to drive to a gym; we would meet halfway between our houses and walk up and down the streets in the early morning hours. In the past, I’ve done this with other neighbors and we’ve made this a prayer time as we shared and prayed together.

5. Be generous to your neighbors:

My friend Catherine shares extra garden produce and garden plants with her neighbors. When I’ve found a great sale at the grocery store, I’ve been known to pick up extras for a friend.

6. Help neighbors who cannot help themselves: 

My son and daughter-in-law lived next to a lady in her nineties several years ago. They often stopped over to do odd jobs for her or offered to do her grocery shopping. Their kids would often go over and visit with her, and she would reward them with homemade treats and stories. The relationship was beneficial for the woman, but also for the children. They learned to help those in need and to appreciate the wisdom found in the elderly woman’s stories.

7. Start a neighborhood Bible Study: 

“Natural relationships changed my spiritual destiny,” wrote Amy Lively in her book, How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird. “We need more than an hour of church on Sunday, we need friends around us all day, every day—in the trenches of our living rooms and the battleground of the playground. We need fearless women who are brave enough to tell us when we’re wrong and wise enough to remind us of God’s righteousness.”

It may be surprising how many of your neighbors would be open to studying your Bible with you. Don’t have room in the schedule for a Bible study? Consider sharing some of your Christian books and chatting about the topics. I always pass on my favorite books to my neighbor, Laura, and we’ve had some great conversations over the years.

As you can see, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to reach out and connect with your neighbor. The biggest step is just putting on a smile and stepping out the door.

How do you and your kids connect with your neighbors? Share your experiences in the comments below!

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