Time capsule letter to your child: ideas, examples and how to start

Your child blows out eighteen candles, a little unsure and a little proud, and is then handed a letter. A letter you wrote when they were two years old. That's a time capsule.

As a parent you know this moment never comes back. This small child, this stage, these months when everything is still new. Photos capture what it looked like. A letter captures what it felt like.

Below you'll find example sentences you can use straight away, and practical advice on keeping the letter so that it's actually still there on that 18th birthday.

What is a time capsule letter?

You write a time capsule letter now, to be read much later, at a moment you choose. For parents, the 18th birthday is the most popular date. Some write the letter at birth, others write one every year.

The idea has existed in physical form for centuries: boxes buried in the garden, letters in a safe, envelopes marked "DO NOT OPEN BEFORE 2040". Physical time capsules do have one stubborn problem, though. They get lost. The box goes missing in a house move, the ink fades, or you simply can't remember where you put it.

A digital time capsule solves that: you write the letter now, and it's delivered automatically on the date you set.

You're the only one who knows this moment

You know what fascinates your child right now. What their laugh sounds like. What they say just before they fall asleep. Which cuddly toy is their favourite and why they can't be without it. Fifteen years from now nobody will remember exactly, not even you. Write it down now and it stays.

For your child it's a glimpse of who they were, seen through the eyes of someone who loves them unconditionally.

Example sentences for your letter

A time capsule letter doesn't need to be long. One sheet of A4 with honest, specific details is worth more than three pages of vague sweetness. Use these categories as a guide:

About who your child is now

• "Right now you are [age] years old and [specific detail about their personality]."
• "Your favourite word is [word]. You say it twenty times a day and it makes us laugh every time."
• "When you're cross, [description of typical behaviour]. When you're happy, [description]."
• "You love [activity/object/person] more than anything."

About the world right now

• "We live in [town/house]. By the time you read this, that may be a long time ago."
• "In the news right now is [a current topic]. Perhaps it's long been resolved by the time you read this, perhaps it's still having an effect."
• "A film everyone is going to see right now is [film]. Or a song you hear everywhere: [song]."

What you want to pass on

• "If there's one thing I want you to remember from your childhood, it's this: [sentence]."
• "I hope that you [dream/wish for your child]."
• "I'm proud of who you are, and of [specific quality] in particular."

A look ahead

• "When you read this you'll be 18. I wonder whether you still do [hobby], or whether you swapped it for something new long ago."
• "I don't know what the world will look like when you read this. But I hope you've found your place in it."

Keeping the letter so it's still there in sixteen years

Writing is the fun part. Keeping it is where things go wrong. These are the three usual options:

A paper letter in an envelope. Deliberately old-fashioned, but fragile. There's a risk of losing it in a move or a fire. It works best if you hand the envelope to a notary or put it in a box you keep on purpose. As a loose sheet of paper in a drawer it rarely survives.

Email through a "delayed email" service. There are services that store an email and send it years later. The downside: those services don't always still exist when the time comes. There's no guarantee the service will still be running in 16 years.

A digital app with a time capsule feature. Apps such as Ouderliefde have a built-in time capsule: you write the letter now, set the date to your child's 18th birthday, and the letter is delivered automatically. The letter is linked to your child's diary, including the context of that time: photos, milestones, how old your child was. That makes the letter much richer than a standalone email.

The time capsule in Ouderliefde: how it works

From your child's diary you set the delivery date to their 18th birthday, write your letter and save it. On that date your child receives the letter automatically by email, or you as the parent do, whichever you choose.

When your child reads the letter at 18, they can also look back straight away at the photos and memories from that time. Your words and the pictures of who they were then, side by side.

No account yet? You can start for free. The time capsule is part of Premium, and every new account gets 7 days of Premium free.

Five things that make a time capsule letter unforgettable

• Be specific. "You love aeroplanes" is good. "When a plane flies over you stop everything, point at the sky and shout 'PLANE!'" is unforgettable.
• Write in the present tense, as if your child were with you now. "You are now..." is warmer than "At the time of writing..."
• Allow for imperfection. A real, stumbling letter is lovelier than a polished text that says nothing.
• Write for yourself too. It's also a reminder of who you were as a parent at this point. In 16 years you'll read the letter again as well.
• Start small. One letter of one page is enough. You can add one every year, or leave it at this one.

You'll find more ideas for capturing memories in our article on keeping childhood memories: 12 ideas that work.