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For parents, grandparents and godparents

A time capsule letter for your child

Write to your child today, add a photo of this moment, and let it arrive on their 18th birthday, their graduation or their wedding day.

Write a letter to my child

Free forever · Photos included · Up to 50 years · No account

Why write to your child now

Children forget almost everything about their early years, and parents forget more than they expect. A letter written today keeps the details that disappear: the way they say spaghetti, the shape of your week, what you were afraid of and what you hoped. When it arrives years later, it gives them something no photo album can: your voice, at this exact moment.

With LetterToTheFuture you write the letter, add a photo, choose the date up to 50 years ahead and enter the email that should receive it. No account is needed and it is free. On the day you chose, it arrives as a surprise.

When should it arrive?

18th birthday

The classic. Written when they are a baby or a toddler, it arrives the day they become an adult.

Graduation day

For the end of school or university: what you saw in them long before the diploma.

First day of high school

A short letter written when they started primary school, to arrive at the next big step.

When they leave home

Schedule it for the September they are likely to move out. Bring tissues.

Their wedding day

Twenty or thirty years ahead. You do not need to know the date: choose a plausible one, or their 30th birthday.

Every birthday

One short letter every year, written on the day, delivered ten years later. A tradition they will treasure.

10 things to include

  1. 1.The day they were born: the weather, the hospital, the first thing you said.
  2. 2.What they are like right now: favourite toy, favourite food, the words they mispronounce.
  3. 3.Something funny they said this year, word for word.
  4. 4.What a normal day looks like at home, from breakfast to bedtime.
  5. 5.What you are worried about as a parent, and what you hope for them.
  6. 6.The family as it is today: who lives with you, who visits, the pets.
  7. 7.What the world is like: prices, phones, the songs on the radio.
  8. 8.Something you want them to know that is hard to say out loud.
  9. 9.Permission to be different from you, and to choose their own path.
  10. 10.That you love them, in plain words.

Example: for an 18th birthday

Written when you were two

Dear Maya,

Today you are two years and three months old. You call water "wawa", you will only wear your yellow boots, and you think the moon follows our car.

Right now you are asleep and I am at the kitchen table, tired and very happy. Your dad is washing up. The house is a mess of toys, and I would not change it.

By the time you read this you will be eighteen and I will probably embarrass you on a daily basis. So let me say it here, where you cannot roll your eyes: you are the best thing that ever happened to us.

Be brave, be kind, and choose your own path, even if it is nothing like ours.

All my love, Mum ✉

Practical tips

  • Pick an email that will last. Create one for your child today and store the password somewhere safe, or use your own and read it together.
  • Keep the confirmation email. It has the delivery date. If the address changes before then, write to us and we will update it.
  • Add one photo. A picture of today, of the two of you or of their room.
  • Write more than one. One per birthday, or one from each grandparent, builds a collection they will keep for life.

Teachers: there is a classroom version of this activity, with a free worksheet, on our page for teachers. More ideas in our examples from parents to children.

Frequently asked questions

My child does not have an email address. What can I do?
You have three options: create an email account for them now and keep the password safe, send the letter to your own email and read it together when it arrives, or send it to an address you know they will have, such as a family account.

How far ahead can I schedule it?
Up to 50 years. That covers an 18th or 21st birthday, a graduation or a wedding, even for a newborn.

Will my child know the letter is coming?
No. We do not warn the recipient: the letter arrives as a surprise on the day you chose. Only you receive the confirmation when you send it.

Can I include a photo?
Yes, one photo per letter is included for free. A picture of today, of you together or of their room, often becomes the most precious part of the letter.

Can grandparents write one too?
Of course. Anyone can write a letter to a child: grandparents, godparents, aunts and uncles. Many families write one each for the same birthday.

Is it private?
Yes. Letters are stored encrypted and nobody reads them before delivery. They are only published if you explicitly choose to share yours anonymously.

More guides

Write it today. Read it when it matters.

Pick a date, write a few honest lines, add a photo if you like. We keep it encrypted and deliver it on the day you chose.

Write a letter to my child

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