Fun Games for Leap Year
Leap year only comes around every four years so take advantage of the opportunity this February 29th to talk to your preschoolers about how leap year came about and, perhaps, play some fun games in celebration of the 'extra' day! Tip Junkie, Laurie Turk, offers some fun ideas that can be used as actual party games or can be tailored to fit learning goals!
Pin the Crown on the Frog Prince
Play as a traditional party game or have students work with 'mini versions' - matching lower case letter crowns to upper case letter frogs, matching rhyming pairs, matching object crowns to the frog with the same beginning letter sound, etc. For examples, see the photos below...
Frog Hunt
Simply invite your kiddos to locate all the frogs hidden in the classroom or...
- Script numerals or letters onto the frog cutouts instructing students to find the cutouts in order.
- Write color words on each frog and hide them around the classroom. To play, give each student a paint chip with a specific color and invite them to seek out the matching frog.
- Create frog pairs - upper/lower case letters, rhyming pairs, numerals/number words, numerals/dots, etc. Place the frogs in a paper bag and invite each student to draw a frog. On your count, have the students race to find their frog match! Note the time it takes for the class to pair off and try to beat your record.
These are just two of the fun games Laurie offers at her site. Be sure to visit for the downloads and check out the other activities she recommends for Leap Year!