Welcome, Aged Care Coordinators! Every four years, we are gifted an extra day in February – Leap Day! While this phenomenon might seem like just a quirk of the calendar, it carries a fascinating history and presents a unique opportunity for engagement and enjoyment, especially for our beloved seniors in aged care facilities. Let’s delve into some Leap Year trivia and discover fun games to make the most of this special day!

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Interesting Things You May Not Know

Here are some interesting facts to share with your residents about Leap Years. Share and make the 29th of February a fun and interesting day. Ask if they have any interesting facts, they have heard that they can share with everyone. Ask if there are any Leapers or Leaplings among the residents in the group.

• On February 29th, women have the opportunity to propose to the man they want to marry. In various European countries, if the man declines the proposal on Leap Day, there is a customary penalty to be paid, particularly in upper-class society. Tradition dictates that a man who rejects a woman’s proposal on the 29th of February must purchase her twelve pairs of gloves. These gloves are meant to conceal the absence of an engagement ring and to cover her hands; this tradition was even enforced by law during the Middle Ages.

• On an auspicious day like this, there may be a specific dress code to consider when proposing. In Scotland, women who decide to propose are advised to wear a red petticoat beneath their dress. This vibrant color is believed to be alluring and can help attract a partner’s attention.

• Babies born on February 29th during a leap year are often referred to as Leapers or Leaplings. In certain cultures, this is considered a symbol of good luck. Most individuals born on this day celebrate their birthdays on either February 28th or March 1st each year. Around 4 million people worldwide fall into the category of Leap Day babies – Leaplings.

• In certain cultures, like Greece, marrying on the 29th of February is considered unlucky, and believed to lead to an unfortunate end in divorce.

• In Italy, Leap Day is perceived as an unlucky day.

• Many employees who work on leap day do so without compensation since their monthly income does not account for the additional day.

• On a special day, Taiwanese daughters prepare a meal of pig trotters and noodles for their aging parents to wish them good health and fortune.

• If someone was born on a leap day and only celebrated their birthday every four years, they would have to wait until they turned 84 in regular years to legally drink in a bar.

• In 1928, bartender Harry Craddock crafted a special cocktail specifically for leap year at the Savoy Hotel. The ingredients of this cocktail consist of Grand Marnier, sweet vermouth, gin, and lemon juice.

Leaping Frog Game for 29th of February Leap Day – TABLE GAME

If you can purchase a couple of these leapfrog games you could have a lot of fun on Leap Day sitting residents around the table with a few frogs each and see how many frogs they can get to jump into the bucket, the people who land the most frogs in the bucket win a prize of chocolate Freddo frogs.

You can have two games going at once on two different tables, set a 5-minute time limit to see who can get the most frogs into the bucket