Looking for a fun way to make the most of your extra day this year? These fun Leap Year crafts and activities are a perfect way to do just that! Keep reading to check them out!
By the way, if you have Leap Year birthday in your family, check out this cute way to celebrate a clock birthday at exactly 2:29 on 2/29!
5 Cute Leap Year Crafts for All Ages
Let’s start with some crafts, shall we? Before we dive in, I just have a couple of very quick notes. First, this post includes a few affiliate links where I recommended products. You don’t HAVE to buy these exact supplies, but if you do and you use my link, Crafting Addie earns a small commission at no extra cost to you. Also, I want to be upfront about this, I used AI to help me create the images. Got it? Great! Let’s get started!
1. Leap Frog Puppets
Craft playful frog puppets that leap into action!
Supplies:
- Green construction paper (this set comes with 210 pieces in 21 different colors, so you can use it for other crafts)
- Googly eyes
- Craft sticks
- Glue
- Scissors
Steps:
- Cut out frog shapes from green paper.
- Attach googly eyes and draw a smile.
- Glue craft sticks to the back for puppetry fun!
2. Time Capsule Keepsake
I LOVE the idea of time capsules, although to be honest I’ve never made one myself. Leap Year seems like the perfect time to give it a try! I know most time capsules are meant to be opened decades- or even centuries- in the future. But if you think about it, so much changes in just four years these days (and no, I’m not talking about politics).
Supplies:
- Shoebox*
- Markers
- Wrapping paper
*If you want to bury your time capsule, you’ll need something stronger than a shoebox. Check out this video for some tips:
Steps:
- Decorate the shoebox with markers.
- Fill it with personal notes, newspaper clippings, and other mementos that reflect 2024. Add in some predictions for 2028.
- Wrap it up and store until the next leap year!
For the predictions, I know that the world is so scary and crazy these days, but try to use this extra day to focus on the positive. Keep your predictions upbeat and things that you WANT to see happen. For example, “The Chicago Cubs will win the World Series,” or “The last season of Stranger Things will FINALLY come out.” 😀
3. Origami Leap Frogs
Fold your way to a leap frog family with origami. This one is great because it not only lets you create adorable crafts, but you’ll also be learning about a different culture at the same time. Origami has major cultural significance in Japan.
Supplies:
Steps:
- Follow these origami instructions to create adorable frogs.
- Make multiple frogs and have a leap frog race!
I was going to give you step-by-step directions myself, but honestly, that link above is much easier to follow. Sometimes, I get a bit convoluted when giving directions. I once got someone lost giving them directions on how to get to a house about 500 feet from mine. In my defense, that house is in a totally different development that requires driving back out to the main road and making about 6 turns on back roads, though. Ah, rural living…
4. DIY Leap Year T-Shirts
Design custom leap year shirts for the whole family.
Supplies:
- Plain T-shirts
- Fabric paint or markers
- Cardboard for stencil
Steps:
- Create a stencil with leap year graphics, like cute little frogs.
- Make a stencil for the year, too.
- Place the stencil on the shirt and apply paint or markers.
- Let them dry
5. Frog Bookmarks
Frog bookmarks are super simple to make, and you probably have everything you need on hand. If you don’t no worries, you can swap out nearly everything on the supplies list for something that you do have!
Supplies:
- Green construction paper in different shades (you can also use craft foam if you prefer)
- Craft sticks (or even just stiff pieces of cardboard cut in that general shape)
- Markers, stickers, googly eyes, and any other little embellishments that you want to include.
Steps:
- Draw or print a frog template (see video below)
- Carefully cut out the frog shapes
- Glue googly eyes onto each frog
- Use markers or crayons to draw a mouth.
- Cut thin strips from another shade of green paper to create frog legs, and glue them on
- Add any other little touches you want!
- Glue the whole shebang onto a craft stick and voila, you’re done!
Fun Leap Year Activities for the Whole Family
If you’re not really feeling crafty, no worries! You can still celebrate the once-every-four-years holiday in style! Here are some fun activities that you can do both on your own or with the whole family.
- Take a Leap of Faith: Challenge yourself to do something you’ve been hesitant about. It can be anything from trying out a new recipe to a literal leap of faith like skydiving (which is a great big no thank-you for me, but if it’s something you want to do, go for it!)
- Watch a Movie with Leap in the Title: If you’re watching with kids, the 2016 movie “Leap” is a good option. For a romantic comedy vibe, go with “Leap Year” with Amy Adams, Matthew Goode, and Adam Scott.
- Take a Leap in Nature: Go on a hike or visit a nature reserve.
- Leap into a New Book: Start reading a book you’ve been putting off.
- Visit a Trampoline Park: Embrace the literal sense of leaping.
- Leap Year Photo Challenge: Take a photo every hour to capture your day.
- Make Leap Year Resolutions: Set goals for the next four years.
- Leap Year Memory Lane: Ask everyone in the family to make a list of their favorite memories from the last four years. Then share and compare them with each other. This is a great way to encourage gratitude and to focus on all of the good things in life.
- Try a New Leap Year Tradition: Start a tradition that you can continue every Leap Day. It is NEVER too late to start a new tradition.
- Leap Year Letters: Write letters to your future selves to be opened next Leap Day. This is a great alternative (or addition) to the time capsule.
- Start a special February journal. This is perfect if, like me, you love the idea of journaling but never seem to be able to stick to it every day. Even with Leap Day, February is the shortest month of the year, so it’s a pretty low-pressure month to dedicate to journaling.
- Play Leapfrog: Recapture a bit of your childhood magic by playing a game of leapfrog with friends or family. If your kids have never played, that’s even better because you can teach them! If you’ve forgotten how to play (or never learned), check out the video below to see how.
Whatever you decide to do with your extra 24 hours, just make it something fun! It’s literally “extra” time, something we all wish for every other day of the four years between Leap Years.