PlayStreets Help Get Children and Families Outside for Summer Fun

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Children and families are invited to get outdoors and get active this summer with the return of PlayStreets, free community events for children and their families featuring food, entertainment, and a place to play.

PlayStreets events – a collaboration between Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Healthy Neighborhoods Healthy Families initiative, community partners and event sponsor Bread Financial – promote health and wellness through outdoor play and social interaction. The events, which began in 2019, return on select Saturdays in May through August in the South Side and Linden communities. More than 1,660 people attended PlayStreets events in 2022. Food and entertainment will include pizza, face painting and a rotating lineup of food trucks, live music, and special activities including petting zoos, inflatables and more.

“PlayStreets helps foster connections between neighbors and gives children a place to have fun and meet new friends,” said Nick Jones, vice president of community wellness at Nationwide Children’s. “We know that physical activity and social connections are important for children’s health and well-being. PlayStreets help provide a way to help kids be active in the summer months when they’re not in school and may not have access to a safe place to play.”