Leap into Fun on Leap Day
Every four years, the short month of February gifts us with a special treat: an extra day! And for 2020, we are extra lucky because Feb. 29 falls on a Saturday.
The concept of an extra day can be a bit tricky for kids to understand (or adults who are not familiar with the history of Leap Day). “My nephew was born on leap day. It is so hard each year to explain why his birthday doesn’t happen! Obviously, we celebrate on the 28th, but he gets upset that the 29th just doesn’t happen,” says Laura Kwell, Overland Park mom.
To help with the confusion, here is a short and sweet summary of why Feb. 29 exists. It takes about 365 days and six hours for Earth to revolve around the sun. Every four years, we make up for that extra six hours by adding an additional day to the calendar. You can tell which year will be a leap year because the year is not divisible by 100. Can you and your family look back over the last 20 or 30 years and identify which years were leap years?
To help you mark this special occasion with your family, here are some suggestions for activities to make your leap day one to remember!
Let the Leaping Begin. There are so many ways to keep your kids moving and celebrate leap day. “We make leap day about frogs. Learn about frogs, play games with frog themes, jump like frogs. The kids have a blast, and it makes the day more memorable,” says April Baldwin, Olathe mom. Try teaching your kids about animals who leap and who can leap the farthest. Then have a leaping contest of your own. Try jumping like a frog and see how high you can get. Mark your leaping progress and compare it to your results on the next leap day.
Looking Back and Looking Forward. Because it only happens every four years, leap day is a great time to take stock of life. “We use leap day to make a 4-year plan for our family. We talk about places we want to go, things we want to do, what we want to accomplish,” says Mindy Alcorn, Kansas City, MO, mom. This day is a chance to look back at all that has changed and all the memories made in the last four years. Celebrate the fun you have had together and look forward to the next four years. Talk about what you want to accomplish and what you want to be celebrating on the leap day four years from now.
Study Science. The science behind leap day is exciting and can lead to lots of discussions about space and time. Visit a natural science museum, watch a documentary about time and space or make a diorama showing how leap day is created. “We like to take this chance to go to the museums. It makes it relevant to talk about space and how the Earth travels around the sun. It is a fun family outing and it feels timely on leap day,” says Kevin Gwen, Shawnee dad.
Celebrate Leap Day Babies. A small minority of people is born on leap day, a distinction that both makes them very special and give them a host of headaches as they grow older. Do they celebrate their non-leap year birthdays on Feb. 28 or March 1? Legally, do they only get a year older every four years? Most governments have processes in place to deal with these leap day complications.
If you know someone with a leap day birthday, make sure to celebrate on this special occasion! If he feels like the only one with this unique birthday, he can find other leap day babies by joining the Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies. You might also remind him that several famous people have a leap day birthday, including Rapper Ja Rule, Law & Order: SVU actor Antonio Sabato, Jr., composer Gioacchino Rossini, jazz musician Jimmy Dorsey, Get Shorty actor Dennis Farina and Foster the People musician Mark Foster.
To learn more about leap day and its long history, try visiting History.com/news/all-about-leap-day.
Melissa Bellach is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three living in Overland Park.