A Neighbourhood Connected
The summer promotes an abundance of play: laughter fills the street amidst the splashes of paddling pools, creaks of trampolines and thuds of footballs. More adults are available to keep a communal eye on the children freely bounding around the neighbourhood with all the energy the sunny days bring. It is a vibrant time for the youth as they enjoy a little independence and healthily develop their social skills with their peers.
Planning play-dates with friends old and new gets children excited. They love to explore new houses and share toys with one another, or return to familiar places and pick up where they last left off. No two households are the same and experiencing a variety of lifestyles is both stimulating and important for the developing mind.
Visiting the older generations further helps the young brain to expand. They love hearing stories of others’ childhood days—the world before Wi-Fi, the street-games they played, the tricks they got up to—and older people love to tell them. With an ageing population there is no shortage of older neighbours but for some of them there is sadly a shortage of visitors. Elders are vital to both the community and children’s growth. After all, it takes a village to raise a child. Whilst the Western world may have strayed somewhat from this proverbial truth, all is not lost. A simple visit to a village neighbour forms the bonds of a healthy community and what better way to then strengthen that by connecting the young and the old.
More connections means a more social, safer street for all—the ideal place for children to play, learn and grow throughout the summer.