Free Leap Year Learning Packet Printable for Kids
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Leap year — it doesn’t come around often, so homeschool mamas, let’s take advantage of this learning opportunity!
In this post I’ll share some Leap Year information you can teach to your kids, and a free Leap Year printable you’ll want to grab to use in your homeschool.
What is Leap Year?
Leap Year is a special year that doesn’t follow the pattern of a typical calendar year. It has an extra day!
Did you know that our precise God designed the Earth’s orbit to actually revolve around the sun in 365.25 days?
But Sara, our regular calendars only have 365 days…yep, that’s the problem!
Every 4 years, we add an extra day to our calendars to “catch up” to that extra day. We call this day a “leap day” and the year it’s added to a “leap year”.
So a leap year is really just a simple adjustment to make sure our calendars match up to God’s timing of the Earth’s rotation!
History of Leap Year
When people began making calendars to keep track of seasons, patterns, and special events, they began to notice this extra 0.25 of a day.
The Romans decided to add the extra day to their calendars every fourth year, and later on, Julius Caesar introduced the idea of a Leap Year with the Julian calendar to keep everything in order.
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII made some adjustments and introduced the Gregorian calendar system to try and align the months of the year with the astronomical year. He also included the Leap Day, and this is the calendar we use today.
Leap Year Facts for Kids
Here are a few fun facts about Leap Year you can share with your kids!
- In some cultures, leap years are associated with various superstitions or traditions. For example, it’s considered unlucky to get married in a leap year in some societies.
- People born on February 29th (leap day) are often called “leap day babies” or “leaplings.” They celebrate their birthdays only once every four years.
- Leap year rules: not every year divisible by 4 is a leap year. However, a year divisible by 100 is not a leap year unless it is also divisible by 400. This rule helps refine the calendar and keeps it in better alignment with the Earth’s revolutions.
Free Leap Year Printable
My free Leap Year worksheet has history, Leap Year facts, and more so you can easily help your kids learn about this fun day!
Kids of all ages will love it.
Pages include:
- Introduction to Leap Year
- Counting Down the Number of Days
- History of Leap Year
- Leap Year Facts
- Leap Year Math
- Leap Year in Different Cultures
- Leap Year Creative Writing Prompts
- Time Capsule Activity
Grab the free leap year printable today, and have some fun on February 29 (or on the next leap year!) in your homeschool!
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