Why do we still use leap years in the calendar?

We use leap years to keep our calendar in line with how the Earth moves around the Sun.

Imagine you and your friend are playing a game where you take turns running around a track. Every time you go all the way around, you say “year.” But the Earth doesn’t run exactly 365 times around the Sun each year, it runs about 365.25 times! That extra bit is like an extra step in your game.

If we only counted 365 days every year, our calendar would slowly get out of sync with the seasons. After a while, summer might start in July instead of June, just like if you and your friend forgot to count that extra step sometimes!

So every 4 years, we add an extra day, February 29, to catch up with that little extra bit. It’s like giving yourself a bonus turn on the track once in a while to stay ahead.

That’s why we still use leap years, they help keep our calendar and seasons in rhythm, just like how you’d keep your game fair by counting every step!