When you have children of all ages, your daily schedule gets packed with soccer practice, piano lessons, doctor’s appointments, etc., etc., and don’t forget dinner! Somehow you manage to sneak in time for Family Fun even if it’s just a game night or movie night once a month, trying a new bakery every Saturday morning before a game, or a weekend getaway to an amusement park. Making a Memory Jar is a simple way to remember all the fun you had as a family throughout the year, in between the chaos.
How to Make a Memory Jar
Supply List
- Jar of any size with a lid, such as an American made Ball Mason Jar.
- Craft Supplies like ribbon, markers, chalk paint, scrapbook scissors, card stock, buttons, stickers, (you get the idea)
- A pen and slips of paper to write your memories on
What to Write
- Special events – a wedding your family attended, a new baby cousin’s birthday, Grandma’s 90th birthday, etc.
- I kicked my first goal in soccer, I was asked to homecoming, I learned to read, and I lost my first tooth… (Let your kids write their memories and sign their names. This is also a great way to see how their handwriting changes through the years.)
- Have fun with it but you may also want to add the not so fun things too.
Tips
- If you have a little one, start one for them and add the dates of milestones quickly, and then when you have time and want to make a baby book, you can add them later. (A fellow mom of twins gave me this tip and it was a lifesaver!)
- We keep all of our movie ticket stubs and put them in the jar when we come home. We also add tickets or receipts from places we visited like the zoo, aquarium, and local museum.
- If your child likes to collect leaves or rocks on nature hikes, add those too. Use a Sharpie to write the date or location of where she/he found it.
- Open the jar together on New Year’s Eve each year and read through your family memories.
- Instead of doing a whole year, make a Family Vacation Memory Jar and add small souvenirs like plane tickets, seashells, pictures, a postcard, etc. Write the name of the city and the date you went on the front of the jar. Have each family member write their favorite memory on a piece of paper at the end of the trip.
