We get a whole extra day to have fun this year! February 29 falls on a Thursday, so make the most of Leap Year by heading to a party, playing trivia or trying a craft.
Leap Day!
Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge, Medford
The first 29 visitors will get in for free to celebrate the 29th of February. Take a hike along the trails, see the animals being rehabilitated and go inside for the wildlife-themed playroom.
Leap Day Discounted Meals
Doherty-owned and operated Applebee’s, Multiple Locations
You can order your birthday meal at the kid’s meal pricing if you are born on Leap Day.
Kids: Take & Make – Leap Day Letter
Princeton Public Library, Princeton
Stop by the third floor Youth Services Department for a take-home maker activity where kids will write a special letter.
Movie: “Leap Year”
Princeton Public Library, Princeton
A young woman decides to strong-arm her Irish boyfriend into marriage by flying to his home country and proposing to him on Leap Day, when tradition dictates he must accept.
Dr. Seuss’s Storytime Birthday Bash
Virtual, through Preschool Readers
Wear your silliest stripes, grab your favorite plush pal, and celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday with Preschool Readers. This free virtual event will have lots of Seuss-tacular fun for fan of all ages.
LSC After Dark: Leap Year Party
Liberty Science Center, Jersey City
Be there for a night of adventures through time and space, with new planetarium shows, food, music and more. Get tickets to the Blink-182 Laser Show or Time Warp planetarium show, LSC’s first-time capsule, a bounce house, dance parties and special smoking cocktails. You’ll have access to all the museum’s exhibits, too.
Mermaid Underwater Experience
Adventure Aquarium
Go underwater during opening night for this two-week special exhibit, where you’ll see real-life mermaids swimming amongst sharks, or sitting on their throne on land. There will be kids’ craft projects, special sea-themed food options, and all the aquarium exhibits you love.
New Jersey Epoxy Resin Project
Jersey Shore Paint Party, Brick
Use shells, starfish and crushed glass to make a beautiful Jersey-shaped board.
Stephanie’s Blingo Bingo Birthday Bash
Our House Restaurant, Farmingdale
Celebrate the late Stephanie Parze’s 30th birthday with eight games of bingo and a buffet dinner. There will be door prizes, raffles, gift baskets, and live entertainment by Who Are You Guys? Proceeds benefit the Stephanie Nicole Parze Foundation, which assists other domestic violence victims and survivors and their families.
Pascack Valley’s Moms’ Night Out
Lightbridge Academy, Montvale
Moms can meet local women-focused business owners who are involved in daycare, fitness, mental health, pelvic floor rehabilitation, chiropractic, Botox/injectables, lactation support, nursery art, permanent jewelry, and local bakeries. Kids over 3 can enjoy crafts and a movie.
Dim Sum Night
Proving Ground Waterfront Dining, Highlands
Celebrate Lunar New Year and the Year of the Dragon with a special dinner featuring egg drop and wonton soup, house salad, chicken potstickers, vegetable spring rolls, pork belly bao bun, pork dumplings, shrimp dumplings and scallion pancakes.
Leap Year Trivia Night
Tierney’s Pub, Montclair
Adults can play trivia night for prizes. Sandwiches, beer/soda/wine, and snacks are included.
What’s My Name? Fundraiser
Birchwood Manor, Whippany
The evening of music, drinks and hors d’oeuvres will raise awareness for rideshare safety, sexual assault and saving lives. The What’s My Name? Foundation honors Samantha Josephson of Robbinsville, who was killed by an imposter rideshare driver while she was away at college.
Sweetness of The Small Cosmic Excess
Mason Gross School of the Arts, New Brunswick
Tonight’s reception will celebrate Mason Gross School of the Arts students who are showing off their thesis work about their explorations of their identities and their relationship to the world.
New York Rangers Player Meet & Greet
Mustang Harry’s, New York, NY
NYRFans.com is hosting a series of player events, and tonight you can meet Rangers’ Center Vincent Trocheck and get an autograph and photo op.
Harlem Globetrotters
Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA
Watch the awesome basketball handling tricks during ball play, games, comedy and theater.
Fun Ways for Younger Kids to Celebrate Leap Day
Have a Leaping Contest: Kids can practice leaping, jumping, and hopping. Give out prizes for the farthest, highest and silliest leaps and jumps.
Bake Leap Day Treats: Make frog pancakes or frog cupcakes.
Discover Math Fun with the Number Four: Have kids count by fours, multiply by fours, and arrange objects in groups of fours. Kids can also figure out which shapes have four sides, and how shapes can be divided into fourths.
Read a Leap Day Book: Share a book about Leap Day with your kids: Mommy, Where’s My Birthday? and Leap’s Day are both about Leap Day babies whose birthdays only come around every four years.
Throw a Leap Day Party: Young kids don’t need much to make a play date into a party. Buy plastic jumping frogs for favors, decorate cupcakes or other baked goods with gummy frogs, and have the kids make a frog craft (here’s how to make a frog puppet out of a paper lunch bag). For a scavenger hunt, hide frog stickers or other tiny frogs around the house. And, of course, you can always play a game of leapfrog!
Fun Way for Older Kids to Celebrate Leap Day
Imagine the Future: What do your children imagine they will be doing in four years? What will be the same and what will be different? Let them write down their predictions on a sheet of paper, and then seal them up in an envelope. On the next Leap Day—in 2028—bring out the predictions and have your family take turns reading them around the dinner table.
Deliver Leap Day Frogs: Buy some inexpensive plastic or plush frogs, attach a “Hoppy Leap Day!” tag and let your children leave them outside the front door of your neighbors’ homes as a happy Leap Day surprise.
Share the Science Behind Leap Day: Explain why our calendar needs an extra day every four years. Here’s some background on the science, and some fun trivia, from Home School Coach.
Read a Leap Day Book: It’s My Birthday . . . Finally! A Leap Year Story is for ages 8-12.
Make a Frog Craft: Free Kids Crafts shares directions on how to make an origami frog with googly eyes.
Put on a Play: The Pirates of Penzance is the perfect Leap Day production (read why!).
For more Leap Day ideas, check out our Leap Year Leap Day Pinterest Board.
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