Printable template
Couples year in review: 20 questions and a printable template
A couples year in review is one evening where the two of you look back on your year together: one best moment from each month, a few good questions and three things you want to do next year. Below are 20 couples year in review questions, from light to a little deeper, on a free one-page template you can print or save as a PDF, and how to run it in about an hour. It works for dating couples, newlyweds and couples married for decades. All you need is a pen and your camera roll.
The template: 12 months, 20 questions, 3 goals
Print this page and only the template comes out, on one sheet of Letter or A4 paper. For a PDF, choose "Save as PDF" in the print window. Fill in the months together first, then take turns on the questions, then write your goals.
Our year in review
Year ________ · ____________ & ____________
Month by month: one best moment, one photo
20 questions, from light to deeper
Warm-up
- What's your favorite photo of us from this year, and why that one?
- What was the best thing we ate together this year?
- Which song will always remind you of this year?
- What's the funniest thing that happened to us this year?
- Which new place we went to would you go back to tomorrow?
The good parts
- Which day this year would you happily live again?
- What's something new we tried together?
- When did we feel most like a team?
- What's a small habit of mine you came to love this year?
- What did we celebrate this year, big or small?
A little deeper
- What was the hardest stretch of the year, and what helped us through it?
- When did you feel most cared for by me?
- What's something I did this year that meant more than I probably know?
- What did you learn about me this year?
- What's something we handle better now than we did a year ago?
Next year
- Which tradition from this year should we keep?
- What would you like more of next year, and what less of?
- Where do you want to go together next year?
- What's something you'd like us to learn or try together?
- Finish the sentence: "Next year, I hope we…"
Three things we'll do together next year
| What | First step | By when | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||
| 2 | |||
| 3 |
onceupon.us.com/couple-year-in-review · The 12 photos above are also a 12-scene plan for a 1-minute film.
How to do a couples year in review
About an hour, one evening, in this order. Skip anything that doesn't fit the two of you.
Pick an evening and keep it short
The last week of December, New Year's Day or your anniversary all work. Silence your phones, but keep the camera roll open.
How to do it: Plan for about an hour: 20 minutes for the months, 30 for the questions and 10 for the goals. Something good to drink helps.
Go through your photos, month by month
Scroll back to January together and stop at each month. Agree on one best moment and one photo for each box.
How to do it: Most phone photo apps can show your photos by month or find them by date, which makes this quick. A month with no photo still gets a moment.
Take turns on the questions
One of you reads, you both answer, then you switch. Start with the warm-up round; the easy questions get the conversation going.
How to do it: Skip any question you like. It's a look back, not a performance review, so nobody keeps score.
Keep the deeper round gentle
Round three asks about the harder parts of the year. The point is to notice what helped, not to reopen an old argument.
How to do it: If a question opens something bigger, agree to come back to it another day. For anything that keeps coming up, a couples therapist is the right person to talk to.
Write three shared goals
Small and specific beats big and vague: "a weekend away in spring" rather than "travel more".
How to do it: Give each goal a first step and a month, then put the first step in both your calendars before bed.
Long distance? Do it on a video call
Each of you prints a copy and fills in the months, then you compare what you picked.
How to do it: Send each other your 12 photos before the call, or share your screen and scroll through them together. Long-distance anniversary gift ideas
Keep the sheet and make it a tradition
Date it, sign it and keep it with your cards and photos. Next year, read last year's sheet before you start a new one.
How to do it: The goals are what you'll check first: did you do the three things?
Turn the 12 months into a short film
Your 12 photos, one per month, are a ready plan for a 12 scenes, 1 minute film: each photo redrawn in a style you pick and brought to life, put in order by date, with your names in the opening and words on screen.
How to do it: Add the 12 photos to Once Upon Us and pick the pair of characters that looks most like you. A 1 minute film is $24.99. The month-by-month plan has ideas for each slot. See the month-by-month plan
Example frames in three of the six styles. Your film is drawn from your own photos.
Made with you, scene by scene. Add your photos, pick your characters and see your first scene free before you pay, then check each scene before it comes to life.
Start our filmQuestions
What questions should couples ask in a year in review?
Start light, then go a little deeper: your favorite photo of the year, the day you'd happily live again, when you felt most like a team, the hardest stretch and what helped, and what you want more of next year. The full list of 20 is in the template above.
How do you do a couples year in review?
Pick a quiet evening, go through your photos month by month and agree on one best moment for each, take turns on a few questions, then write three things you'll do together next year. About an hour is enough.
Is there a printable couples year in review template?
Yes, on this page. Print it and only the one-page template comes out: 12 month boxes, the 20 questions and three goals. For a PDF, choose "Save as PDF" in your browser's print window.
Can we do one if we've only been together a few months?
Yes. Fill in only the months you've had, and use the warm-up and next-year rounds. For a first anniversary, run it from anniversary to anniversary instead of January to December.
Is a year in review the same as couples therapy?
No. It's a look back at your year, for fun and for remembering. If something keeps coming up between you, a licensed couples therapist is the right person to talk to.
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Updated November 6, 2026