Start a new tradition this year with this easy peasy DIY New Year's time capsule! With a few items you probably have lying around the house, you can have a beautiful time capsule to capture the memories and moments of the year. Plus, grab our free New Years printable to put inside!

Family holding sparklers from Fun Cheap or Free.

A New Years time capsule is the perfect way to capture all the best memories of the year. Best part? There are no rules! You can literally include anything you want to!

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Not quite sure what to put in your DIY time capsule? No problem! We've got tons of ideas to share. Plus, we've got an awesome and free time capsule questionnaire printable and year in review sheet that you can fill out as a family and tuck away in the capsule!

HOT TO MAKE A DIY TIME CAPSULE

This DIY time capsule is so easy to make and you don't need to be crafty to make it… win! Here's a step-by-step of how we do it.

  1. Grab a Box – Any small box will do. Recycle that baby and it will cost you nothing! We like to use a box from a Costco shopping haul or an empty Amazon box.
  2. Tape and Cut the Box – Tape your box closed and then use a box cutter or a knife to cut it into a chest. Do this by cutting a top flap that lifts to open.
  3. Decorate the Box – You can get as crafty (or not!) as you want here. We like to use a simple contact paper from the dollar store to keep things cheap and easy, but you can also cover your box with glue and scrapbook paper or even paint it! Get the kids involved and let them help with the decoration. They'll be way more excited to use it and that's the perfect excuse for it not looking Martha Stewart perfect. 😉
  4. Fill it with Memories – Now that your DIY time capsule is ready, it's time to fill it with memories on New Years eve! Keep on reading to get our best ideas of what to put in there.

Pro Tip: Use Washi tape or any other colored tape to border the lid for stability and aesthetics!

IDEAS TO PUT INSIDE YOUR TIME CAPSULE

Not sure what to put in your time capsule? We've got all the ideas you need!

  • New Year's Eve Printables – We've got two FREE printables for you that are perfect for filling out on New Year's eve and tucking away in your time capsule.
  • Tickets from an Event – If you went to a memorable play, concert, or even movie, toss those ticket stubs in the time capsule to look back on later!
  • Trinkets from a Trip – Did you collect shells on a beach vacation this year? Toss one in! Or maybe you collected leaves on a memorable family walk. No matter how big or small, throw those momentos in!
  • Printed Pictures – So many of our pictures these days are digital and stay on our phones. Print out some of your favs from the year and include those in your time capsule!
  • A Favorite Item – Was your child's favorite food avocados this year? Throw in a picture of an avocado or something else to represent the item! Did they obsess over dinos? Throw in something to remember dinosaurs!
  • Anything Else – There are seriously no rules here! Put in anything you think will bring back memories and laughter when you open your time capsule at a later date.

The sky is truly the limit! No matter what you decide to put in your time capsule, make sure it's relevant to the previous year.

HOW TO USE YOUR TIME CAPSULE PRINTABLE AND YEAR IN REVIEW SHEETS

We've come up with the perfect New Year's printable to fill out and put inside your time capsule. It's as easy as click, print, and write! Here are some of the goods included.

TIME CAPSULE NEW YEARS PRINTABLE

This New Year's printable was designed just for your time capsule! It can even serve as a time capsule itself if you are totally out on making a box. Just tuck it away in a safe place each year and pull it out on the next New Year's Eve! Here's a quick snapshot of what's on it.

  • A Letter to Self
  • Goals for the Next Year
  • Accomplishments from the Previous Year
  • All About Me Description

This is just a snapshot. Trust us, you don't want to miss this awesome New Year's printable!

YEAR IN REVIEW SHEETS

This free New Year's printable is exactly what it sounds like… a snapshot of your year in review! Print one for the whole family to do collectively or let each person fill one out themselves. Trust us, you will LOVE having these pages to look back on.

Want more family inspiration for the new year?

Happy New Year!