A “2020 Hindsight” time capsule can be a fun (and easy!) way to fill the summer with self-reflection and encourage intrapersonal growth/awareness in your children.

Wash and dry an empty plastic or glass container with a lid that can be sealed off. (We recommend something quart-sized.) Label the jar “2020 Hindsight” with a Sharpie.

Over the course of the rest of the summer, have your child add things to the jar that will give their future self a glimpse into what s/he was like in 2011. Some ideas of what to put into the jar:

* picture of the type of job s/he would like to have as an adult;
* a favorite toy;
* photos of best friends with their names on the back of each photo;
* ticket stubs or the DVD jacket picture of a favorite movie;
* a CD of his/her favorite songs  (with names and artists written on it);
* magazine cut outs of favorite things to do (e.g. play soccer, go to the swimming pool, make forts, dress up);
* a list of current favorite books to read;
* wrapper or piece of a carton of his/her favorite food(s);
* brochure from or photo of his/her favorite place to visit;
* a photo/brochure from the place s/he would most like to visit in the future;
* a baggie of how much s/he earns in allowance each week;
* a note about who s/he imagines s/he will be when s/he opens the time capsule in 9 years.

If so inclined, encourage your child(ren) to decorate the capsule, then decide on a place to stash it where it will be undisturbed and unseen for the next nine years. (Attic? In a hole in the backyard? Wrapped in wrapping paper at the back of the linen closet?)

Time for a Time Capsule