It can be hard to stay positive in the face of the major changes we’ve been facing. But people across the country have found countless ways to keep their spirits up and bring each other emotionally closer—even while staying six feet, or many miles, apart. Here are 20 simple, joyful ways you can spark some happiness in your own community. 
Got stuffed animals? Pop them into windows facing the sidewalk or street. Communities all over the world are joining in on “bear hunts” that are a whole lot cuter than they sound: People put teddy bears and other stuffies in their windows for kids to find on scavenger hunts. Some little ones are going all out with full-on safari gear and binoculars. “We have some houses where probably every stuffed animal they own is stuffed into a window,” Tennesseean Shanna Bonner Groom told TIME about her neighborhood’s hunts. 
In Carnes Crossroads, South Carolina, photographer Tony Diz has been shooting family portraits of his neighbors—from at least six feet away. Not only has it been a fun opportunity for families to change out of sweatpants and get dressed up, the photos will provide lasting memories that chronicle how their neighborhood came together during a time of hardship. “It’s hard times that bring people together,” Diz old South Carolina’s Live 5 News. “Your true character comes out, and it’s hard times that make you who you are.” 
Or adorn your home with any holiday decorations you have. Your neighbors will brighten up at the festive sight—and it will help remind people of better times ahead. 
Gather up some art supplies and on your next walk, pick out the smoothest, prettiest rocks you can find. Then decorate them with pretty colors and messages of positivity. That’s one easy way a Hampton Township, Pennsylvania, mom of two spread a little joy in her neighborhood. Now, Liz Saraceno says her and her neighbors’ rock art is attracting walkers from all over town. “We have a lot of people from other neighborhoods who are coming around our block, just to walk through and see all of the different pictures on the rocks,” she told CBS Pittsburgh. “It’s taking their mind off of what’s going on right now.” 
Similar to teddy bear hunts, some people are taping rainbow drawings and chalking rainbows all over the sidewalks in their towns for kids to go out and find. Philadelphia dad Brad Lindell got the idea to start a rainbow hunt in his Queen Village neighborhood after his sister-in-law told him she was spotting the sunny emblem all over her part of Brooklyn, New York. When he posted a Google form on Facebook inviting people to participate, more than 50 people had signed up to hang a rainbow in their window by the following afternoon. “All those social norms that we did every day, they’re just gone,” Rebecca Brett, an East Kensington, Pennsylvania, mom of one said. “This really fills that void a little bit.” 
Just because we’re all stuck at home doesn’t mean we can’t stay active—in fact, the endorphin boost could do us all good right now. That’s why Chuck Subra of Newburgh, Indiana, started leading his family and other neighbors in outdoor workouts. Chuck, a former avid Crossfitter, demonstrates exercises from across the street for neighborhood kids to follow along with every morning at 11 a.m. As long as you stay a safe distance apart, exercising together can be a great bonding experience and mood booster for you and your neighbors. 
Residents of all ages in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin neighborhood walked around the block wearing inflatable dinosaur costumes, dino onesies and scaly tails (six feet apart, of course) to break up the boredom that comes with social isolation. Stacy Meyer, one of the parade’s organizers, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel she wanted to give local parents “a little bit of a break; some joy, something different” from the monotony of homeschooling and staying indoors. The kiddos looked thrilled, and every adult was smiling too! If you don’t have a dino costume, any silly getup will do. 
One of the easiest ways to boost morale is by writing encouraging notes on Post-Its and sticking them to your neighbors’ doors. If you want to go the extra mile, follow Rieley Cermak’s lead. The 10-year-old, who lives in Lyons, New York, left packages of candy on her neighbors’ doorsteps, along with a red and green sign that neighbors could use to indicate whether they’re in need of help. If the neighbor is safe, they can put the green side up on their door—if they’re missing crucial supplies, they can flip the sign to the red side and make a note of what they need. So far, Cermak told News 10 NBC none of her neighbors have put up a red sign, but she’s willing to assist anyone who does. 
If you’re missing your favorite dive bar or wishing you could entertain people at home, invite your neighbors out for a socially distanced happy hour like these neighbors in Brielle, New Jersey. Whether you’re saying “cheers!” from across the street or to a neighboring fire escape, you can still safely enjoy taking the edge off in the company of others. 
In a community in Bayville, New Jersey, Jack Taylor and his mother organized a new Friday night neighborhood tradition: playing Bingo. Taylor’s mother, Sue, used a megaphone to call out numbers as six other neighbors played along. Sue admitted she called out the wrong number once, but nobody seemed to mind. “If we can have fun outside with the neighbors and make everybody smile, that’s what it’s all about,” Taylor said. Another nostalgic and quarantine-friendly game? Charades! 
In New Jersey, kids are brightening up neighborhood sidewalks with chalk art of rainbows, smiley faces and inspirational messages. You can do the same even if you’re not in grade school—just channel your inner child and uplit your fellow neighbors from afar. 
Teachers in Massachusetts decided to drive up and down their districts’ school bus routes honking and waving to all their students, who greeted them with sweet posters and air hugs. “I’m getting emotional because I’ve done this for 30 plus years and I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” Principal Pam Lothrop teared up as she spoke to NBC10 Boston. The parade took less than a day to organize, and provided some much-needed positivity to kids, parents and teachers alike. To do something like this in your own neighborhood, gather a group of four or five people willing to blast music and hang balloons, streamers or just colorful signs out of their car windows while cruising through the neighborhood waving and smiling. 
In the Bay Area, people are getting groovy at outdoor neighborhood dance parties. Shelly Glannon, a mother in San Jose, invited her neighbors to dance with her from their respective porches at 3:30 in the afternoon every day. Talk about a great way to beat the afternoon slump! One of her neighbors, Mark Phillips, even brought out his professional sound system to get the whole block jumping. 
A balloon artist in South Bend, Indiana, surprised hard-working daycare staffers and kids with her beautiful balloon creations. You can follow an easy balloon art tutorial on YouTube to make the outside of your own home more festive too. If that seems like too much trouble, you can float a single cutesy balloon from your porch or mailbox, like residents in Clemmons, North Carolina. 
All over the U.S., neighbors are offering each other vital services through the Nextdoor app, from picking up groceries for the elderl or immunocompromised and leaving them outside their doors, to eaving out necessities like spare rolls of toilet paper and bottles of hand sanitizer for neighbors to grab. If you have a surplus of these items or other essentials such as canned goods or disinfectant, leave some outside your door with a friendly note. 
If you’re lucky enough to have a front yard or terrace (or even a fire escape) an easy way to add some color to the neighborhood is by planting some flowers. You can hang a bouquet off your balcony or windowsill in these cheery planters, or festoon your yard with vibrant wildflowers that attract birds and butterflies. Seeing something grow will make you and your neighbors a little more happy and hopeful everytime you pass by. 
Nothing brings people together like music. Lark Knowles, a classically trained musician, brought her piano into her driveway to give her neighbors in San Clemente, California an impromptu concert. And in Columbus, Ohio, two children played the cello for their 78-year-old neighbor, Helena Schlam, on her patio. At the same time, Schlam FaceTimed her grandchildren in Israel so they could take in the music as well. 
The lowest-stakes way to put a smile on someone’s face is to simply offer up a smile of your own—and maybe a wave or a hello if you’re feeling particularly chummy. This might feel unnatural to those of us in big cities, but it’s an easy, no contact way to make you and the people around you feel closer to each other.
18 Sweet and Simple Things You Can Do to Cheer Up Your Neighbors During Lockdown
From covering the streets with rainbows to leading a dinosaur parade, here’s how real people are spreading joy safely—and you can too.
