As February 29th approaches, let’s take a moment to leap into the fascinating world of Leap Day—a day that only comes once every four years!
This extra day in our calendar is not just a quirk of timekeeping, but a wonderful opportunity to engage our young learners in fun, educational activities on this “bonus” day!
Keep reading to find some ideas and activities to slip into your learning plan on February 29th {or even the days surrounding it!}
What is Leap Day?
Leap Day, occurring on February 29th, is an extra day added to our calendar every four years to keep our calendar in alignment with the Earth’s revolutions around the Sun. It takes the Earth approximately 365.24 days to complete its orbit. Without Leap Day, we would lose almost six hours every year, and after 100 years, our calendar would be off by about 24 days!
Fun Facts to Share with Your Students
- A Special Birthday: People born on February 29th are often called “leaplings” or “leapers.” They usually celebrate their birthdays on February 28th or March 1st in non-leap years. I tried to find celebrities that our students may know born on February 29th, but my search came up short on anyone our students would know 🤣 But for your knowledge, Tony Robbins, Ja-Rule, and Antonio Sabado Jr. are all leaplings!
- A Rare Occurrence: Leap Day happens once every 1,461 days, making it quite a special day!
- Global Traditions: In some places, Leap Day has unique traditions. For instance, in Ireland, it’s said that women can propose marriage to men on this day, and in Greece it’s bad luck to get married on this day!
Best Leap Day Videos
Here are a few kid-friendly videos to share that you can access on YouTube!
PS- Check out the best math videos on YouTube here.
Leap Day Classroom Activities
I’ve put together a bunch of activities for you to use throughout the day {or even the week!} of Leap Day! These are ALL no-prep ideas. Just because you have an extra day in the {busiest!} month of the school year, doesn’t mean you need to spend extra time planning!
Here are some of the Leap Day activities your students will love:
- Close-reading passages about Leap Day
- Calendar Math
- Math Task Cards
- Would You Rather? Prompts
- Fast Froggies Game
- Leap Day Poster
- Leap Day Word Search
Let’s look at each one below.
Read about Leap Year
This close-reading passage gives your students to not only learn important facts about this bonus day but also check their understanding.
Leap Year Calendar Math
Give your students a chance to fill in a February Leap Year calendar! Not only will this give them a chance to practice those numbers, but there are also a few bonus questions to ask once they’ve successfully filled it in! There are two versions – one with “starting” numbers and one without. I know calendars can sometimes be tricky for our young learners.
Math Ideas – Task Cards
Get your students “leaping” around the room with a print & go set of math task cards. Cut up the cards and place them around the room. Your students can hop around to answer the standards-based questions!
Or, if you want a truly no-pre activity, print out this addition color-by-code printable.
I’ve also included a color-by-code for digraphs if you want to switch it up or add it to morning work or homework for the week.
Writing Time – Would You Rather? Prompts
Get your students writing with some fun leap day topics! I have included LOTS of options for writing! There are five Would You Rather? prompts {to sprinkle in throughout the week} and three additional persuasive prompts. Pick what works best for your students.
Classroom Game – Fast Froggies
Get a little silly with this Fast Froggies game! You can either pair students up to play together or use this as a whole-class activity. Simply read aloud the prompt and see if students can do it in less than 10 seconds!
Fun Stuff – Leap Day Poster Activity
Sprinkle some fun in the day and let your kids imagine what they’ll be like at 29 years old! This poster can be printed on regular copy paper or as a poster {read directions here for that!}
I always love to imagine what “future” kids think of themselves. In their minds 29 is ancient 😂
Leap Day Word Search for Classrooms
And who doesn’t love a good ol’ word search?
You can grab the Leap Day word search for free by entering your info below!
And if you want the whole Leap Day unit, check it out here!
Story Time
You know I love any excuse to read a book! Leap Day books are very challenging to find {hey, maybe I’ll write one by the next leap year!}
Here are a few cute titles to add to your day:
Leap Day Classroom Activity Ideas Recap
Leap Day is more than just an extra day on the calendar. It’s a chance to engage students with unique lessons and activities that they’ll remember for years to come.
So, let’s leap into learning and make this Leap Day a fun and educational experience for our young learners!
What are you planning to do for Leap Day this year? Tell me in the comments.
