Leap Year Classroom Ideas

Are you “leaping” with excitement to celebrate the leap year in your classroom? Take advantage of an extra day in February to create memorable moments with your students. Check out these leap year classroom ideas that are easy to incorporate and guaranteed to increase student fascination with this special day! Make sure to grab your free printables to help you get started!

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Leap Year Information

Be sure to include information about the leap year so students understand the meaning of this special day. You can watch informational videos on YouTube or include some fun read alouds to introduce a leap year to students.

Read Aloud Ideas:

• Leap Year Easy Reader from Simpy Kinder + found HERE. This informative book can be shared in a whole group and students can receive their special copy.
• Leopald’s Long-Awaited Leap Year Birthday
• Leap Day – This fun book includes familiar characters like Pooh and Tigger.

YouTube Videos:

Leap Year for Kids

Why Are There Leap Years – Colossal Questions

What is Leap Day? Why Do We Have it? – Find out on Kid History

Leap Year Literacy Ideas

There are many ways to incorporate leap year celebrations into phonics, reading, and writing.

• Frog Editable Name Craft – This cute and easy craft makes the perfect bulletin display. You can use students’ names or leave the frog pieces blank to incorporate your twist (word families, story elements, sight words). Grab your frog craft HERE at Simply Kinder +.
• Complete a growing story as a class. Begin with the starter “In four years…” and have each student add a sentence to extend the story. Laughter is guaranteed!
• Leap Day Literacy Center Rotations – Choose 4 literacy centers for students to complete from Simply Kinder’s Leap Year Bonus Centers. Students can build frog sentences, match rhyming words, work with CVC or CVCe words, and identify digraphs.
• Leap Frog Decoding Relay – Make a path of decodable words. Students will leapfrog over each other to the cards. They will decode and read the word before students leap to the next card.
• Leap Day Phonics BINGO – Practice CVC words with leap day BINGO. Differentiate this activity by using cards with the word and picture or only the word. Grab your phonics BINGO set HERE at Simply Kinder +.

Math Leap Year Activities

Put those math minds to work on the 29th day of February.

• Leaping Frog Math – Use plastic leaping frog toys for this exciting math activity. Students will leap their frogs into muffin pans that have numbers on the bottom. You can differentiate this activity by having students represent the numbers with manipulatives or adding numbers together.
• Math Center Rotations – Use Simply Kinder’s Leap Year Bonus centers for math rotations. Students can form numbers on dough mats, match shapes, model addition/subtraction, and represent numbers.
• 29 Balloons – Place math task slips in 29 balloons (count by 10s to 100, add 1+3, etc.). Students will pop the balloons and complete the tasks.
• 29 Exercises – Get your students moving while they count. Grab your copy of Simply Kinder’s Twenty-Nine Exercises HERE.

Additional Leap Year Classroom Ideas

Sprinkle in other exciting leap year activities to make this day memorable for your students.

• Make Frog Pond Punch – Mix 2 liters of Ginger Ale, 1 container of frozen lemonade, 1 large can of pineapple juice, and 1 quart of lime sherbert for a delicious treat.
• Create 2024 Leap Day Hats – Students will have a souvenir to remember this special day with Simply Kinder’s Leap Day Hat found HERE.
• Connect 4 – Create an oversized version of Connect 4 using black and red paper plates. You can use butcher paper or create a grid using sidewalk chalk outside.

Grab all of the resources mentioned above and SO many more leap year themed activities at Simply Kinder + HERE or grab your Leap Year Activities bundle at Simply Kinder HERE.

FREE PRINTABLE:

Get started by grabbing the free student certificate and search & find vocabulary for Leap Year HERE!

Let us know about your leap year classroom ideas! Please make sure to tag us on Instagram here or share inside the Simply Kinder Teacher Facebook Group here!