Rhythms of Community
The isolation that has come with COVID-19 has been hard for all of us, and especially challenging for our preschoolers who don’t have a clue what “six feet apart” means. But necessity is the mother of invention, right? Or, at least, doing-whatever-you-can-to-maintain-your-sanity is the mother of invention...
It started with an invitation from our friends across the street to create chalk art on our separate driveways. It grew into something way better: neighborhood play dates. We were soon a gathering of eight families along our block with 19 kids between us, meeting on our designated stretches of sidewalk to play.
Over the last two months, we’ve settled into a rhythm that works: half an hour, three days a week. If everyone can make it, great! If dinner is taking too long or someone’s zoom meeting runs long, they’ll catch the next round. It’s casual, non-committal, and fun.
So far, we’ve done chalk art, costume parades, timed sidewalk obstacle courses, and dance parties; played games like bingo, “telephone”, and charades; kicked around multiple soccer balls at a time, and even had a long-jump competition.
“We’ve forged new friendships with our neighbors, and we’ve been able to give our kids the gift of feeling connected, even at a distance. ”
Truthfully, I ran out of ideas long ago, but we passed the responsibility of planning activities to the older kids, which is a role they’ve taken on with great enthusiasm!
It’s not been all fun and games (see what I did there?), because nothing is perfect. At first we didn’t all know each others’ names, and the kids have a tendency of talking over one another, and it gets super hot outside. But it’s worth it. We’ve forged new friendships with our neighbors, and we’ve been able to give our kids the gift of feeling connected, even at a distance.
My hope is that hearing our experience encourages you to look for ways to grow community where you live – whether it’s with folks on your street, or friends who are willing to hop in their cars and come meet you for a sidewalk play date. Helping our kids find safe, new ways to connect may feel intimidating at first, but you can do it! It’s especially valuable during this season, and absolutely worth it.
Dacia Kanaan is the Children’s Ministry Volunteer Coordinator at our Waterford Campus. She and her family love adventures, whether they come in the form of muddy afternoons in their backyard or delving into the Chronicles of Narnia together. If you’re interested in hearing more or moving into her neighborhood, you can reach out to her at dkanaan@summitconnect.org.