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YOURSELF · TIME CAPSULE LETTERS

A time capsule letter, for the day it is opened

A time capsule letter is written now and read on opening day, by you, by your family or by a class years from now. This page has ideas for family and classroom time capsules, six examples, and a way to seal letters for a time capsule so they wait for the right date.

Start a time capsule letter

Open in ten yearsWrite →Open when we open the capsuleWrite →Open when I finish high schoolWrite →Open on our tenth anniversaryWrite →Open when you turn 18Write →Open when you graduateWrite →

Each one opens a blank letter with the moment already on the envelope. No account needed.

An example to start from

To all of us, ten years from now

It is a Sunday and Dad is burning pancakes again. Nia is eleven and has worn the same purple hoodie for a month. Dev is eight and says he will be a plumber, a rapper, or both.

We are putting this in the shoebox with the school photos and a receipt from tonight's pizza, because the receipt shows what pizza costs and we know that will make you laugh.

What we want to know: who still lives in this house? Does the hoodie fit? Did anyone become a plumber?

The pancakes were not that bad, by the way.

Mom
AN EXAMPLE TO BORROW FROM
MAKE IT YOURS
Only yours
Only you can open it.
Change the date or delete it whenever you want.
We never read it, and it never goes public.
How privacy works
A wooden box full of old photographs and keepsakes
Photo: Miray Bostancı on Pexels

What to write in a letter for a time capsule

A time capsule letter has two readers: the person you are writing to, and the room of people watching it get opened. Write for both.

Start with a snapshot. The date, the weather, what things cost, what everyone is wearing and arguing about. Add predictions, so people can check them. Ask questions. End with one line to the opener about what you hope they find.

Do not try to be profound. The details that make opening day fun are small ones, like the price of pizza or the name of the dog.

EXAMPLE LETTERS

Letters to borrow from

We wrote these to show what a letter like this can sound like. Borrow a line, then make it yours: the small, true details are what make it land.

To the class of this room, for graduation day

You are ten and you are loud, and I love it. Today we voted on a class pet and the winner was a fish named Doug. I am told this is a serious matter.

As I write this, Omar is building a catapult out of rulers and Nadia is reading under her desk when she thinks I do not see. I see.

By the time you read this you will be done with high school. I hope somebody has told you lately that you were funny in fifth grade. You were. Come visit.

Your fifth-grade teacher
AN EXAMPLE TO BORROW FROM
MAKE IT YOURS

To me in eighth grade

Dear me in 8th grade,

Hi. I am 10. My best friend is Caleb. Do you still know him? We made a fort and it is awesome.

I like pizza, dinosaurs and my dog Biscuit. I think I will be a paleontologist, which is a dinosaur doctor. I bet you still like dinosaurs. Do not say you do not.

Did you get a phone yet? My mom says not till 13.

P.S. Pet Biscuit for me.

Jonah, age 10
AN EXAMPLE TO BORROW FROM
MAKE IT YOURS

To us, for our tenth anniversary

Hi love,

We have been married eight months and we fought about loading the dishwasher this morning. By the time we open this, I hope we still fight about it, because that means we are still in the same kitchen.

I want to remember the small things. You hum while you make coffee. You leave the cabinet doors open. You cried at the dog food commercial and denied it.

If it was harder than we planned, I am still proud of us.

Load the dishwasher my way.

Dani
AN EXAMPLE TO BORROW FROM
MAKE IT YOURS

To whoever opens this

Hello, stranger,

If the box is open, I assume the street still exists. Maybe it has a different name.

I am writing from number 14. We have a loud neighbor, a very good bakery on the corner, and strong opinions about the new parking rules. I do not remember why. I hope somebody does.

Is the bakery still there? Do people still send letters? Does the maple in the front yard still drop those helicopter seeds on everything?

Say hi to your neighbors. We tried to.

A neighbor on Elm Street
AN EXAMPLE TO BORROW FROM
MAKE IT YOURS

What Ruby told her dad to write, age 5

Dear Big Ruby,

I am five. I can write R and U and B and Y. Dad is writing the rest.

My favorite color is green and orange. My favorite food is noodles with nothing on them. I have a loose tooth and I am not scared. A little bit scared.

My best friend is a boy named Otis and he eats paste. Do you still know Otis? Is he still eating paste?

I hope you are nice. I hope you are tall. Bye.

Ruby, age 5
AN EXAMPLE TO BORROW FROM
MAKE IT YOURS

A family time capsule

Give each person one page and a deadline. Little kids can talk while an adult writes, as Ruby did above. Choose the opening day before you seal anything: a milestone birthday, a graduation, ten years to the day. Put the date on the box and on the calendar.

You can write your own letter here, sealed for the same date, and keep the box for the others. Save the date and you get one reminder email a week before. If the letter is for a child to read at 13 or 18, see letters to your child.

A classroom time capsule

A class capsule works best when students write on paper and the letters go in the box itself. Choose a date someone will still be around to mark, such as the end of a school stage. Students can write to their future selves, to the class, or to whoever opens it.

A teacher can add a letter too, like the one above, sealed here for the same day. Give the class the private link or QR code yourself when the day comes.

Children's time capsules

A children's time capsule is mostly small things: a drawing, a handprint, a favorite toy, a page of what they believe. Add a letter from the adult, and ask the child to dictate one. They talk, you write, and you keep the spelling and the grammar exactly as they say it.

Seal a second letter just for them, to open when they turn 13 or 18. For ideas by age, see letters to your child.

Planning opening day

Expect some laughing, and one letter that lands harder than you planned. Pick one person to open the box and read the letters aloud, or pass them around. Let each person read their own first. Then check the predictions.

Paper needs care. Keep the box dry, write in ink that does not run, and keep a copy. Write another set of letters when it is over, and set the next date. Here you can download your own copy of every letter.

IF YOU ARE STUCK

Questions that help you start

  • What does an ordinary day in your house look like right now?
  • What does everyone in the family argue about?
  • What do you think will be different when this is opened?
  • What are you wearing, eating and listening to this week?
  • What would you ask someone ten years older?
  • What do you want whoever opens it to know about this year?
  • What is the best thing about the people in the room?
  • What would you not want to forget?
  • What are you hoping is still true?
  • What are you most worried will have changed?

Open When never writes your letter for you. These are only here to get the first line down.

QUESTIONS

Questions people ask

What do you write in a time capsule letter?
Write a snapshot of today: the date, what things cost, who is in your life, what you are doing and worrying about. Add a few predictions and a few questions. Finish with one line to whoever opens it. Small details matter more than big statements.
What should go in a children's time capsule?
Small things the child made or loves: a drawing, a handprint, a favorite toy, a page about what they believe, and a letter from an adult. Let them dictate their own note. Write the date and their age on everything.
How long should a time capsule stay closed?
It depends on who it is for. A family capsule can wait ten years or until a milestone birthday. A class capsule can wait until graduation. A child's capsule can wait until they are 18. Pick a date people will still want to mark.
What happens when time capsules are opened?
People read the letters, check the predictions and notice what has changed. Plan it as an event: choose who opens the box, decide whether letters are read aloud, and set aside time. It also helps to write fresh letters on the same day.
Can I write a time capsule letter online?
Yes. Write one here, choose the opening date, and it stays locked until then. It is free, with no account. Leave an email and we tell you when it unlocks. Write another by hand for the box if you like.
KEEP READING

More letters like this

A letter to myself, for a day I have not reached yetRead →A letter to your future self: what to write and when to open itRead →A time capsule letter to your child, to open at 10, 13, 16 or 18Read →Graduation card messages, and a letter to open laterRead →Open when ideas: moments to seal a letter for, and what to writeRead →
Write the letter for the box, and the one for the day.
Write a time capsule letter