Since the Olympic Games only come around every four years, it provides a perfect milestone for doing a family time capsule project. As parents it seems like we constantly marvel at how fast our children grow. Creating a time capsule to be opened during the next Olympics provides a unique opportunity for your kids to see for themselves how far they’ve come!
You can choose to do a time capsule to be opened in 2 years (with the next Olympics) or wait 4 years and open at the next Summer Games.

How to Make an Olympic Time Capsule
First you’ll need a container for your Olympic Time Capsule. We raided the recycle bin and found an Oats container that was a perfect size. A glass jar could also work well.
We decorated our container with torn scraps of paper in the Olympic-ring colors. The kids will have a lot of fun helping you do this part. Decoupage the paper scraps to your container with a mixture of 1 part glue and 1 part water. Using a paint brush apply glue to the container and then place on paper scraps and add more glue to the top of the paper to help it wrap to the shape of the container.
Download our free printable Olympic Time Capsule template, at the end of this post
Download our free printable Olympic Time Capsule template, at the end of this post, to get the outside plaque to put on your family’s Olympic Time Capsule container. We first made these for the 2012 Summer Games, but I have updated the template to be good for any year.

WHAT TO PUT IN YOUR OLYMPIC TIME CAPSULE
Download and print our free Olympic Time Capsule template, which includes a Memory Book that your kiddos can color and fill in.
HERE ARE SOME OTHER FUN THINGS TO INCLUDE:
- Measure how far your child can jump and cut a piece of yarn that is that length. If you have multiple members of the family who are participating label each piece of yarn with the jumper’s name. When you break out the time capsule during the next Olympics stretch out the yarn and see if your kids can beat the earlier jump.
- Trace your child’s hand on a piece of paper to roll up and place inside.
- Also include a souvenir from the Olympic host city. We loved this double-decker bus toy or make and include one of these British soldiers.
WHERE TO PUT YOUR OLYMPIC TIME CAPSULE
I think a time capsule is usually buried, but I’m planning to just stick our Olympic Time Capsule at the back of my closet for safekeeping. I can’t wait to open it up again in four years!
Such a cute idea!! Love this!!
Thinking we might open our capsule from two years ago and do a new one for this year! Loved this idea! Are you doing another for the Sochi Olympics?
What a neat idea! Would love for you to link this up with our party @costours.blogspot.com
Great idea! We just used this as a part of a fun patch for my daughter’s girl Scout troop!