Neighborhood Activities for Kids

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood with these neighborhood activities for kids. Summer activities already get kids outside, so why not meet the community?

Everyone can get involved, whether decorating bikes or sidewalks. In these kids' activities you can try something new and meet people at the same time. And, of course, you'll have fun too.

Try these two projects to get started:

Bike Spectacle

A parade of decorated bikes creates a spectacle in this kids' activity.

Sidewalk Art

Decorate the sidewalks in your neighborhood in this summer activity.

Get ready to jazz up your bike for the activity found on the next page.

For more summer crafts and kids' activities:

Bike Spectacle for Kids

Bike riding is a popular summer activity, so why not turn the pastime into a neighborhood activity by decorating bikes for a colorful parade? Get the kids on your block together for a bike spectacle in this neighborhood activity for kids.

What You'll Need:

Newspaper
Blunt scissors
Ruler
Masking tape
Colored tissue paper
Twist tie

How to Create a Bike Spectacle:

Decorate your bike with pom-poms, paper fringe, and flowers.

Step 1: To make pom-poms, fanfold 2 pages of newspaper together. Make a long cut through each crease to about 3 inches from the end. Wrap tape around the uncut end. Repeat to make another pom-pom. Tape the pom-pom to your handlebars.

Step 2: To make paper fringe, cut a 9-inch-wide strip of colored tissue paper. Fold it in half lengthwise. Cut slits along the open edge about 1/2 inch apart up to about 2 inches from the folded edge. Tape the fringe around the bars on your bike.

Step 3: To make flowers, cut 3 large circles from colored tissue paper. Place the circles on top of each other and gather them in the middle so that they look like a bow. Secure the centers with a twist tie. Separate the paper layers and fluff it into a flower. Tape the flower to the front of your handlebars.

Play Picasso on the sidewalk with sidewalk art in the next neighborhood activity.

For more summer crafts and kids' activities:

Sidewalk Art for Kids

Here's a fun summer activity: create a sidewalk art gallery for your neighbors. After kids get creative with sidewalk chalk, neighbors will be able to enjoy the artwork while they walk down the street in this neighborhood activity.

What You'll Need:

Colored chalk
Safe sidewalk or concrete driveway
Paper towel

How to Create Sidewalk Art:

Step 1: Find a safe sidewalk area away from traffic. (Be sure to ask permission to draw on the sidewalk.)

Step 2: Use colored chalk to draw your art on the sidewalk. Try chalking a sunset. Start at the top with blues, then add purples, reds, and oranges. Work in some fluffy pink-tinted clouds. Finish up with some snowcapped mountains.

Step 3: Rub a paper towel across the edges of your colors to blend them.

Step 4: Instead of a square picture, be creative with your concrete space. Chalk a long skinny dragon down the sidewalk or a school of fish on a concrete walkway.

Step 5: Another idea is to trace the shadow of an object, such as a tree, on the concrete. Then, color in the outline.