Getting to know your neighbors can have a powerful impact on your life. Research suggests that when neighbors interact, kids stay in school, crime declines and residents report improved health.

How do you begin? It may seem difficult to simply jump in and introduce yourself to strangers. Here are a few examples of ice breakers that have worked for others...

• Move your after-dinner relaxation or weekend project out to the front porch so you have a better chance to meet your neighbors.
• Bring a neighbor’s morning newspaper up to their door to introduce yourself.
• Notice and mention your neighbor’s hobbies. Say something like, “How is the rollerblading going?”
• When you are planning a yard sale, let your neighbors know and invite them to submit a few items.
• Comment on a neighbor’s garden or landscaping. Ask for tips.
• If you experience a break-in or have learned about a nearby robbery, give your neighbors a heads up.
• Shovel snow and do yard work at the same time as your neighbor.
• Take frequent walks on your block and take time to stop and chat.
• Make your first meeting with a neighbor a friendly one, rather than a complaint about a barking dog, overgrown yard or loud music.
• Ask to borrow an egg or tray of ice. Even if you don’t need one, it will help you start talking.
• Invite everyone on your block over for dessert.
• Offer some useful advice about the recycling program, an upcoming block project or issue. Start with, “Did you know…?”
• If you share a tree or bush with a neighbor, suggest you trim it together.
• Acknowledge the awkwardness of the situation. “We’ve lived on the same block for five years, and I decided it was time to introduce myself…”
• Give a personal reminder to your neighbors who forget to move their cars on street sweeping day.
• Make a point to stop at the neighborhood lemonade stand to introduce yourself and have a refreshment.