Imagine your favorite toy needs a little extra time to work properly, that's kind of how leap years work. Every year, the Earth takes about 365 days to go around the Sun, but it actually takes a tiny bit more than that, like 365 and a quarter days. That means after four years, we've gone an extra day, so we add one special day at the end of February called February 29, making that year a leap year. This helps our calendar stay in sync with the Earth’s movement around the Sun.
Examples
- Your favorite toy needs one extra minute to finish its cycle every four years, that's how a leap year works.
- If you were born on February 29, you only get to celebrate your birthday once every four years.
- February 29 is like an extra day in the calendar, just for special years.
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See also
- Why Do We Still Use the Same Calendar Today?
- What is February 29th?
- What is 5 extra days?
- What are romans?
- What is uinal?