It only happens once every four years, people… This year we have an extra day on the calendar – February 29th, Leap Day! It’s a gift of 24 hours, and personally I think it should be added as an extra Saturday, but this time it’s a Monday.
Leap Day is extra fun for us because it’s my son’s half-birthday, which he usually doesn’t get to celebrate! Kids love the idea of an extra day, so make the day special for your kids with fun games, puzzles, and other neat activities. The frog is the unofficial mascot of Leap Day because of all the leaping they do. So I’ve got a bunch of froggy ideas to keep your kids happy all day long!
Leap Day Activities
Go to the library and check out books on Leap Day and frogs.
Children’s books do a great job of explaining things on a level children will understand. Teach them what Leap Day is by reading books in the library. You could also check out stories about frogs, such as the classic “Frog and Toad” by Arnold Lobel.
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Challenge your kids to a word puzzle.
Using any kind of letters you have, fridge magnets, wooden blocks, etc, spell out ‘Leap Day’. Then, challenge your kids to write down as many words as they can think of using only the letters in ‘Leap Day’.
Let the kids have fun with free printables.
Looking up leap day printables on Pinterest will give you a bunch of results. You’ll find math challenges, coloring pages, mazes, and even connect the dots. Your kiddos will have fun breaking out the crayons and taking on all the frog-themed things to do.
Play frog themed games.
The first that comes to mind is ‘Ribbit, Ribbit, Jump’ – it’s the same as ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’, it’s just froggy-themed!
Leap frog is another classic game to play – just be careful no one gets hurt!
You could also play ‘Pin the frog on the lily pad’. It’s easy to make – use some green posterboard and cut it into the shape of a lilypad and hang it up. Have the kids each draw a frog on construction paper. Cut out the frogs. Then put a piece of tape on the back of each frog. Have the kids try to stick their frog to the lilypad while blindfolded!
Create a Leap Year time capsule.
A lot happens over four years, which is the next time we’ll have a leap day. Get the kids to answer questions about themselves – what do they like to do, who are their friends, what they would like to do before the next leap day. Consider taking pictures of your child and the whole family. When the next leap day comes around, you’ll be able to look through the items in the time capsule with your family to see how much everyone’s changed and grown.
Leap Day can be a little hard for younger kids to understand – but that doesn’t mean you can’t make the day fun! Make it a special day full of frog-themed fun for them. This will be a memory that will stick with your children and will surely become a fun tradition in your home!
