The Examen is a prayer taught by St. Ignatius of Loyola. It is meant to guide a person through self-reflection in a way that encourages spiritual growth and hope for tomorrow. It is an excellent prayer to say each day with children of all ages!
The beauty of the Examen is that it can be said in a variety of ways, especially with children. Our family’s version of the Examen begins by quieting our voices and our bodies. We make the sign of the cross to remind our children that we are entering into prayer.
Next, my husband and I take turns guiding our children through a “kid-friendly” version of the Examen. I’ve put together the prompts we use in the image below:
We love praying the Examen out loud with our children each night. It gives everyone in our family a chance to thank God for our blessings. It also helps us to reflect on the highs and lows of our day in a God-centered way. Finally, it provides us the opportunity to discover the places where God is calling us to become a better version of ourselves.
I hope you will find the resources here helpful for praying the Examen with your own children!
Read Part V: 5 Principles of Ignatian Pedagogy
About the author: Stacey Jarzynka has a decade of experience as a Catholic school teacher and a reading intervention specialist. After having her daughter, she started looking for jobs where she could stay home while also pursuing her love of creating content that inspires young people to grow deeper in their Catholic faith. God’s answer to her prayer started with the homeschooling moms in her book club introducing her to classical education and it ended with an offer to start developing content for Kolbe. Stacey resides in a small town in Illinois with her husband and two children.
