It might seem like getting to know our neighbors is harder than ever in a time when feeling lonely and isolated is on the rise, but connecting with the people around us is an important way of creating a sense of belonging and connectedness to our community. For children, this is especially true. Forming relationships with our neighbors helps kids feel that their community is a safe and friendly place, and introduces them to community helpers. It’s also a great opportunity to practice skills like kindness, empathy and inclusiveness as a family.
Looking for a good excuse to meet or reconnect with a neighbor? September 28th is National Good Neighbor Day! Officially recognized in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter, this annual day is meant to encourage people to “feel part of a larger family” by fostering community mindedness. And the best part is, your family can do that in lots of different ways: connect with a neighbor you’ve never met before, support a local business, take part in a special community-wide activity, or plan a neighborhood clean-up day.
To learn more about why being a good neighbor makes kids resilient, happy and healthy, check out the articles, videos and games below. Then, keep the fun going with Learn Along Bingo sheets full of printable activities and everyday learning ideas for children grades Pre-K to 2!
Jump to article sections:
The Importance of Being a Good Neighbor
Connecting Children to Their Neighborhoods: Deepening a Sense of Belonging
Grades PreK-3
Getting to know the people in their neighborhood can help children feel that their community is a safe and friendly place. Here are a few ideas from Sesame Street to get you started on building our children’s sense of belonging and connectedness.
Raising Includers: 5 Tips to Help Your Kids Be Kind and Compassionate
Grades PreK-3
When kids learn to empathize with others and show compassion for their peers, being an “includer” becomes automatic. Here are five ways to help your child learn to include others.
Expanding Your Child’s Circle of Concern
Grades PreK-3
Learn tips for helping children expand their circle of concern to include those who look, sound, or behave differently than they do.
Cultivating Good Neighbor Skills | Virtual Professional Learning Series
Grades K-5
Explore the “Core Competencies” of social emotional learning with these videos in the Virtual Professional Learning Series on PBS LearningMedia. Themes include developing childrens’ self-awareness and self-management, social awareness and responsible decision-making, and their ability to cultivate healthy relationships and interpersonal skills.
Loneliness Is on the Rise. Are Closer Neighbors a Solution? | Retro Report
Grades 9-12
Even before the Covid pandemic shut down schools, closed businesses and introduced the idea of social distancing, medical experts were seeing an alarming increase in Americans struggling with isolation. The U.S. surgeon general has called this trend an epidemic of loneliness, as harmful to health as smoking cigarettes. To counteract isolation, some Americans are turning to a living arrangement known as cohousing. The idea originated in Denmark in the 1960s, describing communities of privately owned, single-family houses built around shared outdoor spaces, bringing neighbors closer together.
Crafts, Games & Activities
Neighbor Day Game
Grades PreK-K
How can you be a good neighbor? Play the interactive Neighbor Day game and explore all of the different ways you can be a good neighbor, just like Daniel Tiger!
Riding with Rosie | Rosie’s Rules
Grades PreK-K
Drive around and be a community helper with Rosie in this digital game!
Building a Neighborhood | Let’s Learn
Grades PreK-2
Build scale models of neighborhood buildings with Andrew Coletti from the Salvadori Center. In this video, Andrew will show how to use different materials to build a scale model of buildings in a neighborhood community.
Empathy-Building Books for Kids
Grades PreK-3
These books help show kids how listening is caring and is a skill they can use to connect with people and the world around them.
Mrs. Katz and Tush | Reading Rainbow Stories
Grades K-5
Discover how friendship can bridge differences in age and culture in this story about the bond between two neighbors with the featured read aloud book, Mrs. Katz and Tush. LeVar Burton celebrates the beauty and value of cross-cultural relationships in this classic Reading Rainbow episode.
Learn Along Bingo
With Learn Along Bingo, children can view, explore, and play as they learn alongside their PBS KIDS friends on the PBS Kids 24/7 channel. We hope your family will use it to inspire learning each and every day.
This time, we’re learning that people have the power to help each other. Working together helps communities grow stronger!
Grades PreK-K
Play & Learn: In this packet, there are printable activities and everyday learning ideas for you and your child to choose from. As you complete each square, mark it off to celebrate the learning!
Grades 1-2
Play & Learn: In this packet, there are printable activities and everyday learning ideas for you and your child to choose from. As you complete each square, mark it off to celebrate the learning!
For even more games and educational resources for young learners, go to the Helping Hands: Honoring the Community Helpers collection on PBS KIDS for Parents.