I got this idea when I was coming home from work on my bike, I saw a group of kids between the ages of 7 and 10ish playing on the footpath and as I went past they called out "Hi" and waved.

So how about the children if they had an action; watching out for people walking by and they could wave at people passing by and the actions they do like in 3 when looking for mommy. Go to a certain part of the village to watch the people walking by.