The idea of a leap year may seem wacky when you first hear about it, but the explanation is pretty cool. Basically, it takes the Earth a little more than 365 days to complete one full trip around the sun. It’s 365.256 days to be exact. In order to keep our calendar in synch with the Earth’s revolution around the sun, we add an extra day in the month of February every 4 years. This is called a “leap year”. This leap day happens this year today, February 29. Considering that this day doesn’t come around too often, it’s a unique opportunity to make it a special day for kids of any age. Here are some ideas:
Books: Book are always a hit in our house. Learning something new from a story is one of the best ways for kids to soak up new information. You can find some good ones here and here.
Crafts: There are a ton of craft projects related to frogs for leap year (get it?…).
Games: Get creative with the kids. Here are some games you can play that are Leap Year related.
- Math games – For older kids, Scholastic has a great Leap Year math game here.
- Physical games – Play a classic game of leap frog! Or see who can jump the furthest. Or go to a trampoline park or bounce house play zone to leap like frogs.
- Here is a fun word Puzzle.
- Write an acrostic poem with “Leap Year” as the guide.
- Write a story or talk to your child about where in the world you could go and what you would do there for 24 hours. Let their imaginations run wild!
How will you make the most of your extra day this year?