Inside: Because Leap Year only comes once every four years, celebrate with these Leap year activities for kids.
Leap year for kids is a bit confusing. Why is there sometimes a February 29th and sometimes there’s not?
And why does it matter?
Well, I’m not an expert on explaining leap year to kids, but I am an expert on making it an extra day of FUN and LEAPS for kids!!
Back in 2012, I celebrated my first leap year with kids, my kids!
My twins were about 22 months old at the time, but we had a great time together as I came up with a lot of great leap year celebration ideas for kids and adults.
Leap Year Activities for Kids
I am first going to share with you what I did with my toddler twins for our first leap year activities to give you some Leap day ideas!
Then I’ll share several more leap day resources after that, full of even more great leap year ideas for kids of all ages or for your classroom students, even. Whether you teach preschool, kindergarten, or elementary grade school, you’re sure to find something perfect for your kids.
Leap Year Day Activities for Kids {Example}
That February 29, 2012 ended up being the perfect day for such leap day ideas of grandeur as it turned out to be 67 degrees, sunny, and windy (in Indianapolis, mind you).
In the morning, I took my twins to the zoo with a friend and her two kids and we watched the dolphins leap out of water during the dolphin show.
We also saw the tigers, by far our favorite part of the Indianapolis Zoo, and the tiger leaped up on the glass right where I was standing! Scared me a little (even though a thick sheet of glass separated us!).

After naps, my husband and I made origami leapfrogs!
We then headed outside to a park. We flew kites for the first time with the girls, and they loved watching the kite leap into the air. They even helped me let out more string.

My husband ended up winding all the string back up by himself, in strong wind, as the girls left him to play at the playground.
The girls had fun playing at the playground at the park, especially on the swings – their favorite! Especially when they think they are kicking Mommy! Plus, they get to leap into the air, soar to new heights, as they swing.
We were then joined again by my friend and her kids, which made for a super small leap year party for kids!
They all played a fun game of “Leap Frog Hunt,” played like an Easter Egg Hunt but using plastic frogs, which was super fun! Our friend’s daughter especially loved it since she loved frogs!
We brought plastic frogs, the paper origami ones we made, a frog rattle toy and some buckets for them to collect them all in.
We then finished off our adventures with blowing bubbles, watching them leap away into the air! The girls loved it, but they were starting to get cold as the sun was going down and it was super windy.
And that was our Leap Day 2012!!
More Leap Year Ideas for Kids
While that is what we did with our almost 2-year-old twins that year, there are SO MANY THINGS you can do on Leap Year day with kids to make it one heck of an extra day!

Leap Year Games for Kids:
Kids love to play, so play things that get them leaping, bounding, hopping, skipping, or soaring!
- Play leapfrog and leap over each other
- Play hop-scotch and leap onto the numbers
- Jump rope or play double-dutch
- Do three-legged races, sack races, or hop-on-one leg races
- Skip stones on a body of water
- Blow bubbles
- Play Pin the Tail on the Bunny
- Pin the Crown on the Frog Prince or Pin the Kiss on the Frog.
- Have a “Leap Day Frog Hunt” like an Easter Egg Hunt
- Leap into a pile of leaves or into a pile of snow
- Compete in a Leap Day Obstacle Course and see who can do them all the fastest.
- Fly a stunt kite and watch it leap into the air
- Take action shots of you and your kids jumping and leaping into the air (bonus for doing it in strange locations!)
- Play a tape jumping game
- Chalk Shape Jumping Game
- Play Musical Lily Pads

Places to Take the Kids on Leap Day
Just as we took our kids to the zoo and the park so they could watch animals leap and play physical leaping games and things at the park, there are other great, fun, places to take your kids where they can see leaps and bounce!
- Go to the Zoo
- Go to SeaWorld
- Go to a park and swing on the swings
- Go to a jumpy place – bounce house or trampoline park
- Go to a water park or swimming pool and do cannon balls, dives, or backflips into the water
- Go to the ballet
- Go horseback riding
- Go ziplining
- Go to a concert (where they’ll leap out of their seats)
- Go to an Ice Skating Competition

Leap Year Arts and Crafts for Kids
Sometimes you don’t have all the time or means to take your child somewhere, or it’s freezing cold outside so parks and other leap day activities for kids seem less than desirable.
That’s fine! There are some fun leap year arts and crafts for kids you can do indoors and for free or cheap.
Really, you can google or search Pinterest for any number of Frog-themed activities for Leap Day for kids.
Same goes for any other leap-based theme you want to go with, like ballerinas leaping, moon landing leap for mankind, kites leaping into the air, and so on.
- Make Origami Paper Frogs
- Leap Year Coloring Books (Preschool to 5th grade)
- Paper Bag Frog
- Five Green Frogs Printable Puppets (to use while singing the speckled frogs song)
- Paper Plate Frog Mask
- Make Plastic Easter egg frogs
- Frog Clothespin
- Paper roll frog craft

Leap Year Books and Movies for Kids
There are some really cute and educational kids books and movies about Leap Year. Some are even just for fun. Check out a few of these and enjoy!
- Get and read this book to your kids about Leap Year
- Get this Leap Year Birthday book if your child or someone you know was born on February 29! (or this one)
- This is a cute leap-filled frog-themed picture book
- Watch the Moon Landing on YouTube and celebrate the “Giant Leap for Mankind”
- Watch the movie Leap! (available to rent on Amazon). Rated PG.
- Watch Leap Year (available to rent on Amazon). It’s rated PG.
- Watch some Leapfrog educational videos
- Watch VeggieTales: Larry’s Leapin Leap Year (free on Youtube)
- Watch a kid’s storytime of a reading of “What in the World is a Leap Year?”
- Watch a 3-D movie in the theater
Other Leap Year Day Activities
- Make a time capsule to open up the next Leap Year Day!
- Leap Day Activity Book
- Sing the 5 Speckled Frog song
- Have dessert before dinner – switch things up!
- Eat several of these Haribo Gummy frogs!
- Tell Leap Year jokes for kids
Whatever you decide to do on February 29 this leap year, I hope it’s so fun! Enjoy the extra day.
*Also, bonus for anyone who can tell me how many times I mentioned the word “leap” in this post!
Alysia says
Great ideas, I never even thought to celebrate leap day before. Thank you!! And as for the number of times leap is mentioned (including leaping, leaped, and in the pictures, book titles and movies titles in pictures) 72 times.
Katelyn Fagan says
Thanks for taking the time to count! lol! I hope you enjoy the Leap Year!