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Preschoolers and pensioners are finding harmony in song.
On the days the Roslyn Māori Hill Playcentre is open, its children, parents and caregivers head next door to join the Leslie Groves day programme for a music session.
The programme, run by the Leslie Groves rest-home, offers company and activities to older people who still live in their own homes nearby, many of them living alone.
Guests are collected early and returned home in the afternoon, with transport, morning tea and a noon meal all part of the service.
The aim is to keep them socially, physically and mentally active.
Age is no barrier to a good sing-along as playcentre staff member Mat Lorden brings his guitar and leads the combined group in songs, while the children play and keep the beat on percussion instruments.
The regular visits had been part of playcentre life for about two and a-half years and those involved said they made a huge difference to young and old alike.
Helping lead the music from the day programme side is musician Bob Murray.
"I have been here for 30-odd years," Mr Murray said.
He lends his voice to the sessions, having performed with his band since 1966.
"It’s a terrible name, it’s called Free and Easy," he said.
"I just sing."
The sing-alongs also come in a milestone year for the playcentre, which is marking 85 years since the parent-led early childhood education movement began in Wellington in 1941, during the depths of World War 2.
Centre adviser Helen Thomlinson said more than 400 centres now operated across New Zealand, built on the philosophy that parents were their children’s first and best educators.
"I think having parents here in session adds an incredible depth to what we can provide for tamariki," she said.