Leap year may only come every 4 years but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t celebrate Leap Day. Check out these fun leap year crafts, activities and more ideas you can do at home or school.
For fun activities, play leap frog or hopscotch If crafts are more your thing, then let’s make lily pads, origami frogs or a time capsule to open on the next leap year. For more details, keep reading for a full list of fun Leap Year Day activities.
Leap Day Activities
I don’t remember celebrating Leap Day as a kid but I am sure we did talk about it and do some fun crafts or activities in elementary school. I’ve collected some fun ideas for kids and adults all ages below.
Leap year might seem like a quirky holiday to celebrate but I think there is always time time to make more memories even if its just with a simple craft, activity or snack.
Leap Year Activities
The concept of leap ears is sort of a funny thing to explain to little kids. While the reasoning is behind it makes sense to adults, I’m not sure it does to a young student. Regardless of the reasoning, the end result is an extra day at the end of February, that is certainly something they can grasp. Do you have big plans for your extra day? I say skip your regular schedule and celebrate this special day, as it really is a bonus day anyway!
Leap Year Crafts
These leap year ideas are all based on frogs and jumping. Since frogs leap, and leaping is similar to jumping.
Leap Year Crafts and Activities
These fun leap year crafts and activities are themed basically around the word 'leap' and naturally frogs.
Frog Crafts
The most common activity on this list is some sort of frog craft.
Jumping Activities
If it's a leap year then you might as well jump! To celebrate that is. Check out these fun jumping or leaping ideas to use in the month of February.
More Leap Year Activities
These ideas aren't quite frog crafts or jumping ideas, so we've made a 3rd category of ideas. Some of these are simple experiments that would be great for older kids.
Dipped Oreos: Frog Cookies for The Kids
These are so cute, you know I love fun food ideas. I also love buttercream, so I might opt to try melting green frosting instead of using melting chocolates. But that's just me.
Jumping Minion
Not really a frog craft so we are putting this in the 'other' leap year idea section.
Jumping Goop!
An Awesome Static Electricity Demonstration with Cornstarch
If you are looking for a clever (and leap year appropriate Valentine’s Day card idea for your kids, don’t miss this Hoppy Valentine’s Day printable.
What is a Leap Year?
A leap year is when we have 366 days in the calendar instead of the typical 365. The extra day is added to our shortest month, February. Normally February has only 28 days. During a leap year there is 29 days in February.
Julius Caesar is credited for creating the Leap Day back in 46 BC which also marks the start of the Julian Calendar.
What about Leap Year Birthdays?
It definitely makes for an interesting birthday if you happen to be born on February 29 of a leap year. Typically leap year babies would simply celebrate their birthday on either February 28th or March 1st on non leap years. I’d recommend celebrating on both days. You deserve it! 🙂
Why is there leap years?
We define one tropical year as 365 days but really it takes the earth approximately 365 days and 6 hours to orbit the sun. To account for the extra 6 hours each year, we add an extra day every 4 years.
The civil calendar in use around the world (Gregorian calendar) is a solar calendar. Solar calendars are based on the progression through the seasons as the Earth revolves around the Sun,
https://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/calendars
When is the next leap year?
It’s 2024, so we have another leap year. Remember to keep it simple, you just divide the year by 4, and its a leap year. That’s the simplest way to calculate the next leap year.
There is a slight adjustment to that rule though to make our calendar even more accurate. The extra time each year is actually just under 6 hours, so to account for this difference there is a further rule on when leap years occur.
When years are divisible by 100, then it’s only a leap year when it’s ALSO divisible by 400. So the years 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not leap years. But 2000 was a leap year. Some kids today may live to see the year 2100 and that will NOT be a leap year because of this extra rule.
Books to Buy or Borrow
- It’s Not Leap Year This Year
- Leopold’s Long Awaited Leap Year Birthday
- The Leap Year Book
- Leap Day Activity Book for All Ages
This post was originally published February 18, 2016.
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