I’ve shared before the art project–Our Family Rules Board–that turned into a Nightly Examen with Children. I would like to say, although ideally we would do this every single evening, life does sometimes interrupt our best plans. And if evening time does not work for your family, try during midday during a lunch break. Sometimes midday can help recapture a day that may have gotten off to a bad start or gotten out of hand. The purpose is to begin a nightly examen for children that they will then carry into their adult lives. And if you miss a day, grant yourself and your family grace.
Examen for Children: Teaching Our Children Prayer
“He does not ask much of us, merely a thought of Him from time to time, a little act of adoration, sometimes to ask for His grace, sometimes to offer Him your sufferings, at other times to thank Him for the graces, past and present, He has bestowed on you, in the midst of your troubles to take solace in Him as often as you can. Lift up your heart to Him during your meals and in company; the least little remembrance will always be the most pleasing to Him. One need not cry out very loudly; He is nearer to us than we think.”
― Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God