Featured Sites Week of: Jul 19, 2026 - Self-Care for Educators
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50 Self-Care Ideas for Teachers - Vanessa
Grades
K to 12
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View 50 Self-Care Ideas for Teachers, a comprehensive list of practical self-care strategies designed to help educators manage stress and maintain well-being. The ideas range from quick,...more
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View 50 Self-Care Ideas for Teachers, a comprehensive list of practical self-care strategies designed to help educators manage stress and maintain well-being. The ideas range from quick, everyday habits such as deep breathing and staying hydrated to more intentional practices, including setting boundaries, practicing gratitude, and engaging in hobbies. The list offers a mix of physical, mental, and emotional self-care strategies, making it easy for teachers to find simple yet effective ways to recharge and sustain their passion for teaching.
tag(s): mental health (60), professional development (322)
In the Classroom
Set up a designated space where students (and you) can take short breaks to reset with stress-relief tools such as fidget items, mindfulness coloring sheets, or breathing exercises. Create a weekly or monthly challenge where you and your students set self-care goals, including drinking enough water, practicing gratitude, or taking mindful movement breaks. Integrate short movement activities, stretching, or guided breathing exercises throughout the day to help reduce stress and improve focus for both you and your students. Dedicate a few minutes each week to self-reflection, where students (and you) write about accomplishments, gratitude, or personal growth, reinforcing the importance of mental well-being. Create a book online using Book Creator, reviewed here or ePubEditor, reviewed here for this activity. Encourage self-care and emotional well-being by displaying uplifting quotes, student-created affirmations, or "kindness shoutouts" to create a supportive classroom environment.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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The Complete Guide to Self-Care for Educators - Purdue Global
Grades
K to 12
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Discover practical strategies for educators to manage stress, prevent burnout, and promote overall well-being. It covers essential self-care practices including mindfulness, work-life...more
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Discover practical strategies for educators to manage stress, prevent burnout, and promote overall well-being. It covers essential self-care practices including mindfulness, work-life balance, healthy habits, and emotional resilience. The guide also offers actionable tips tailored to the unique challenges educators face, including setting boundaries, seeking support, and prioritizing mental and physical health. This resource is valuable for teachers seeking to sustain their energy and passion while navigating the demands of the classroom.
tag(s): mental health (60), professional development (322)
In the Classroom
Start or end the day with a brief mindfulness exercise, such as deep breathing, guided meditation, or a gratitude reflection, to help both you and your students reset and focus. Incorporate short physical activity breaks, such as stretching, chair yoga, or quick energizers, to boost mood and reduce stress for both you and your students. Create a classroom culture that values self-care by celebrating small wins, using positive affirmations, and fostering an atmosphere of kindness and support.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Burned-In Teacher - Dr. Chris Jones
Grades
K to 12
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The Burned-In Teacher podcast explores how educators can shift from burnout to empowerment through reflection, growth, and leadership. This episode discusses the mindset shift required...more
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The Burned-In Teacher podcast explores how educators can shift from burnout to empowerment through reflection, growth, and leadership. This episode discusses the mindset shift required to overcome burnout, reframing it as a sign of growth rather than failure. The speaker shares personal experiences of using burnout as a catalyst for self-improvement and professional advancement. The episode also highlights the Burned-In Teacher small group program, which provides structured support for educators seeking sustainable change. By embracing this transformation, teachers can redefine their purpose and develop a leadership philosophy that fosters resilience and fulfillment. If your district blocks YouTube, then the video may not be viewable.
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tag(s): mental health (60), podcasts (169), professional development (322)
In the Classroom
Encourage students (and yourself) to keep a journal where they reflect on challenges, successes, and growth opportunities, fostering a mindset of resilience and continuous improvement. Create the journals online with Book Creator, reviewed here or Google Slides, reviewed here. Empower students by giving them leadership roles in the classroom, allowing them to take ownership of projects, problem-solving, and peer mentoring. Work with students to set personal and academic goals, reinforcing the idea that growth stems from intentional reflection and action, rather than success or failure. Integrate conversations about perseverance, leadership, and personal development into classroom discussions, helping students see challenges as opportunities for growth.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Resilient Teacher Podcast - Brittany Blackwell
Grades
K to 12
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"The Resilient Teacher Podcast," hosted by Brittany Blackwell, M.Ed., provides overwhelmed educators with support, tools, and mindsets to reduce burnout and promote sustainable teaching...more
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"The Resilient Teacher Podcast," hosted by Brittany Blackwell, M.Ed., provides overwhelmed educators with support, tools, and mindsets to reduce burnout and promote sustainable teaching practices. Each week, Brittany and her guests share inspiration and actionable steps to help teachers individualize self-care, prioritize well-being, and enhance their impact in classrooms and communities. Notable episodes include discussions on managing stress cycles, setting authentic boundaries, and achieving a better work-life balance.
tag(s): mental health (60), podcasts (169), professional development (322)
In the Classroom
Implement strategies from the podcast to create a supportive and inclusive classroom, emphasizing growth mindset, positive affirmations, and student-led discussions on well-being. Set clear expectations for work-life balance by managing grading time, limiting after-hours emails, and modeling self-care practices for students. Create a PLC that listens to the podcast and holds discussions (such as a book club) regularly to support one another. Use podcast insights on managing stress cycles to help students recognize their emotions and develop effective coping strategies, such as journaling or taking movement breaks. Use reflection prompts from the podcast to assess teaching practices, set personal growth goals, and collaborate with colleagues on sustainable strategies to reduce burnout.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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What is Teacher Self-Care, and How Do You Practice It? - Waterford.org
Grades
K to 12
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The Waterford.org blog post "What Is Teacher Self-Care, and How Do You Practice It?" emphasizes the importance of self-care for educators to prevent burnout and maintain well-being....more
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The Waterford.org blog post "What Is Teacher Self-Care, and How Do You Practice It?" emphasizes the importance of self-care for educators to prevent burnout and maintain well-being. It dispels the misconception that self-care is selfish, highlighting that attending to one's health enables teachers to better serve their students. The article suggests practical self-care strategies, such as maintaining a gratitude journal, engaging in outdoor walks, connecting with loved ones, and incorporating mindfulness practices like meditation and breathing exercises. By integrating these habits into daily routines, teachers can enhance their resilience and effectiveness in the classroom
tag(s): mental health (60), professional development (322)
In the Classroom
Start or end the day with a short mindfulness exercise, such as deep breathing, guided meditation, or a gratitude reflection. This benefits both students and teachers by creating a calm, focused learning environment. Encourage a culture of gratitude by having students contribute to a gratitude wall or keep individual gratitude journals. Participating alongside students can help teachers cultivate positivity in their daily routines. Create the journals digitally by individual Book Creator stories reviewed here or a class journal in Google Slides reviewed here. Incorporate quick check-ins at the start of class where students and teachers can share how they're feeling using a mood scale, emojis, or reflective prompts. This fosters a supportive environment and reminds teachers to be aware of their own well-being. Schedule short movement breaks, stretching, or relaxation activities throughout the day. These moments help reduce stress and keep both students and teachers refreshed.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Self-Care Tips For Teachers That You've Never Heard Before - Everything AJA
Grades
K to 12
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This video highlights essential self-care tips for teachers to prevent burnout and maintain a healthy work-life balance. It encourages setting a designated "late day" for planning and...more
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This video highlights essential self-care tips for teachers to prevent burnout and maintain a healthy work-life balance. It encourages setting a designated "late day" for planning and establishing "no working days" to ensure personal time. Teachers are advised to play soft music to boost mood, create a joyful workspace, and schedule socialization with colleagues. Being proactive with lesson planning and student behavior management reduces daily stress, while arriving early helps set a positive tone for the day. Additionally, teachers can delegate tasks to students or supportive parents to lighten their workload. These strategies help educators protect their mental health while remaining effective in the classroom. If your district blocks YouTube, then the video may not be viewable.
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tag(s): mental health (60), podcasts (169), professional development (322)
In the Classroom
Play soft instrumental music during independent work time to create a soothing environment that enhances focus and reduces stress for both students and teachers. Assign students responsibilities like passing out papers, organizing materials, or updating the classroom calendar to reduce your workload and build student ownership. Choose one day per week to stay late for grading, lesson planning, or preparing materials, so the rest of the week remains manageable without constant overtime. Arrive a little earlier to set up the day's materials, adjust the classroom environment, and mentally prepare, helping to reduce the feeling of being rushed.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Self-Care for Educators - Dr. Tina H. Boogren
Grades
K to 12
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The "Self-Care for Educators" podcast, hosted by Dr. Tina H. Boogren--a lifelong educator and author--aims to help educators become happy, healthy, inspired, and effective in their...more
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The "Self-Care for Educators" podcast, hosted by Dr. Tina H. Boogren--a lifelong educator and author--aims to help educators become happy, healthy, inspired, and effective in their roles. The podcast covers various topics, including understanding the differences between self-care, self-comfort, and self-indulgence, and offers practical advice on setting achievable self-care goals, such as staying hydrated. By listening to this podcast, teachers can gain valuable insights and strategies to enhance their well-being, prevent burnout, and maintain a positive and productive presence in the classroom.
tag(s): mental health (60), podcasts (169), professional development (322)
In the Classroom
Teachers can listen to an episode during their commute or morning routine to set a positive tone for the day and gain actionable self-care strategies. The podcast offers simple, practical advice (like staying hydrated or setting boundaries) that teachers can immediately apply to their routines to prevent burnout. School leaders or teacher teams can use podcast episodes as discussion starters in staff meetings or professional learning communities (PLCs) to promote a culture of well-being. Educators can use the podcast topics as prompts for self-reflection, journaling, or discussions with colleagues about improving work-life balance.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Teacher Self-Care Toolkit - Routledge
Grades
K to 12
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This document supports educators by including chapters from bestselling Eye on Education titles. Featured chapters address mindset, working with peers and the empowerers, and more....more
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This document supports educators by including chapters from bestselling Eye on Education titles. Featured chapters address mindset, working with peers and the empowerers, and more. Each chapter contains specific ideas and examples of implementing proven self-care strategies as a personal learning experience.
tag(s): mental health (60), professional development (322)
In the Classroom
Although this document includes ideas and valuable information for individual learners, it is also a helpful guide for use with a peer learning group. Consider reading a chapter monthly and using it as a discussion topic for your learning group. Use AI tools such as Claude, reviewed here or Perplexity, reviewed here to generate a list of questions to guide your discussions.
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A Teacher's Pump-Up Playlist to Get You Through Your Day - Education World
Grades
K to 12
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Some days are just tough, and you need a source of energy to get through. This high-energy playlist includes motivational songs that are sure to boost your energy and keep ...more
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Some days are just tough, and you need a source of energy to get through. This high-energy playlist includes motivational songs that are sure to boost your energy and keep you going. Each song on the list includes a video link, or you can follow the included link to access the playlist on Spotify. Suggestions for times to play songs are included; for example, use "Don't Worry, Be Happy" to get you through that upcoming staff meeting!
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tag(s): classroom management (143), mental health (60), professional development (322), songs (50)
In the Classroom
Save this list or add the playlist to your Spotify account to boost your spirits and increase energy throughout the school year. Share ideas with other teachers and create a school playlist for educators. Include songs from the list as a class anthem; for example, play a motivational song as students enter the classroom to get the day off to a good start or play a favorite tune as students pack up to go home at the end of the day.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teacher Self-Care Bingo - Teaching Channel
Grades
K to 12
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In today's high-pressure world of education, teacher self-care is vital for mental well-being and maintaining high teaching standards; however, finding time for yourself can be difficult....more
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In today's high-pressure world of education, teacher self-care is vital for mental well-being and maintaining high teaching standards; however, finding time for yourself can be difficult. This downloadable Bingo card provides ready-to-use activities to promote self-care. Choose from simple yet helpful choices like watching TV or enjoying a pumpkin-spiced treat to clear your mind and take a break from professional responsibilities.
tag(s): mental health (60), professional development (322)
In the Classroom
Reward yourself by taking mental breaks and energizing your spirit using this Bingo card. Print the card before placing it in a prominent area of your classroom or home to remind yourself to take mental health breaks. As a reward for completing a Bingo, treat yourself to a small reward such as a new outfit or book. Use this Bingo card as inspiration to personalize a Bingo card to match your interests using the Bingo Card Card Generator, reviewed here.
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Drench - FlashByNight.com
Grades
K to 12
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Drench is a highly addicting, entertaining problem-solving game for players of any age. The concept is straightforward: use the buttons to change the colors in the square and drench...more
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Drench is a highly addicting, entertaining problem-solving game for players of any age. The concept is straightforward: use the buttons to change the colors in the square and drench the square with one color within the prescribed number of moves to complete the game. Each game begins with the square in the top left-hand side of the large square. Click on one of the colors in the circles next to the square that touches the starting piece. Continue expanding the block of colors to fill in the large square with one color. Upon successful completion, move to a different level that becomes more challenging by offering fewer opportunities to drench the square.
tag(s): brain (58), classroom management (143), game based learning (313), logic (170), problem solving (279), social and emotional learning (202)
In the Classroom
Add Drench to your resources to share with students for quick brain-break activities that encourage problem-solving through gameplay. Ask students to share their strategies for selecting colors as they work toward completing the game board. Curate and organize brain break activities into a single resource to share with students using Symbaloo, reviewed here or 3X3 Links, reviewed here. Find more ideas for brain break activities on TeachersFirst Special Topics Page: Brain Breaks for Students, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Logic Games - Crazy Games
Grades
4 to 12
2 Favorites
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Solving problems using logic is an excellent way to improve brain function and cognition; this compilation of logic games provides you with many different activities. In addition, each...more
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Solving problems using logic is an excellent way to improve brain function and cognition; this compilation of logic games provides you with many different activities. In addition, each of the activities features different methods for engagement. Some games include progressively more complex challenges. Hover over the thumbnail for each game to view the title and select to play.
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tag(s): game based learning (313), logic (170), problem solving (279), puzzles (172)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this game site as a resource for logic and puzzle games to share with your students. Consider adding a puzzle of the week to your computer center activities or as an engaging at-home learning activity. Puzzles are an excellent way to strengthen math conversations in any classroom. After spending time with logic puzzles, ask students to share their thought and learning processes as they play each game. Ask students to create a screen recording demonstrating how to play the game and discussing the process. Use your device's screen recording features or an online tool such as Free Online Screen Recorder, reviewed here, to create and share recordings. Use a simple curation tool such as 3X3 Links, reviewed here, to share students' recordings and/or discussions in one easy-to-find location.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Blob Opera - Google Arts and Culture
Grades
K to 12
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Blob Opera is a delightful learning machine experiment from Google Arts and Culture. Experiment with the four blobs by dragging each of them up or down to change the pitch ...more
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Blob Opera is a delightful learning machine experiment from Google Arts and Culture. Experiment with the four blobs by dragging each of them up or down to change the pitch of each note. Take your blobs on tour across the world and listen to them sing traditional, classic songs. Visit The Blobpera House to experiment with your blobs and create a recording. Share recordings with the link provided or various social media sites along with Google Classroom.
tag(s): music theory (47)
In the Classroom
Share Blob Opera with students as an engaging way to experiment with the found included opera categories - tenor, bass, mezzo-soprano, and soprano. Ask students to record and share their experiments on your classroom webpage. Use Blob Opera as a brain break activity or stress-reliever for students (and teachers!).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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0h h1 - Martin Kool
Grades
3 to 12
9 Favorites
2 Comments
Oh h1 is an addicting and challenging interactive for problem solving and logic. Choose from four different grid sizes to play. Click on squares to make them red or blue. ...more
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Oh h1 is an addicting and challenging interactive for problem solving and logic. Choose from four different grid sizes to play. Click on squares to make them red or blue. The goal is to never have more than 2 squares of the same color in a row, and to have equal numbers of colors in all rows and columns. The rules are explained as you play. Increase difficulty by increasing the number of grids and completing in the shortest elapsed time.
tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (132), game based learning (313), logic (170), problem solving (279), puzzles (172)
In the Classroom
Oh h1 is perfect for use on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Use this site as a computer learning center or on individual computers. Challenge students to increase difficulty levels and elapsed time. Share this engaging site with your gifted students for some mind stretching fun! Be sure to include a link on your class website or blog (parents may want to try this one too). Have students challenge their parents to see who can complete puzzles the quickest!Comments
Great for logic practice.Melissa, , Grades: 0 - 5
Fun logic game-kids won't realize they are learning.Tammy, OR, Grades: 0 - 9
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