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Take Care of You

Teaching is one of the most rewarding and demanding professions. We know how easy it is to put everyone else's needs first, working late into the evening and sacrificing your own well-being for the sake of lesson planning, grading, or supporting your students. But taking care of yourself isn't selfish—it's essential for being the educator your students need you to be. After all, you can't pour from an empty cup! This collection of self-care resources is explicitly designed with educators in mind. From quick playlists to logic games to podcasts, these tools are meant to support you in creating a more balanced, joyful teaching experience. Remember, prioritizing your wellbeing isn't just good for you; it models healthy habits for your students and helps you show up as your best professional self every day.

Grades K-12

Drench

Take a break with Drench, a highly addictive, entertaining problem-solving game for players of any age. Use the buttons to change the colors in the square and drench the grid with one color within the prescribed number of moves to win.

Grades K-12

Teacher Self-Care: Free Online Tools for When You Lack the Will to Teach

Get motivational tips and web tool suggestions for different scenarios educators face, including “For When You're a Disorganized Mess,” “For When Your Classroom (or Your Mind) is a Circus,” and “For When You Need To Let Someone Else Do The Teaching.”

Grades K-12

The Educator's Room Presents: The Teacher Self-Care Podcast

Learn about self-care, teachers' mental health, and how to change schools and policies. Episode topics include wellness as liberation, how to self-advocate in a toxic school culture, the essence of anxiety, using your passion to fuel your care, and more.

Grades K-12

Self-Care Tips For Teachers That You've Never Heard Before

This video highlights essential self-care tips to help teachers prevent burnout and maintain a healthy work-life balance. For example, it encourages setting a designated "late day" for planning and establishing "no working days" to ensure personal time.

Grades 3-12

The Purring Test

Looking for a quick, engaging brain break? TED's The Purring Test offers just that and more. It began with a curious question intended to help people understand different types of thought: "What would it be like to play Pictionary with an AI?"

Grades K-12

A Teacher's Pump-Up Playlist to Get You Through Your Day

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 mood and keep you going. Each song on the list consists of a video link or a link to Spotify.

Grades 4-12

Gridlock Buster

Take a game break! Control traffic and break up gridlock as part of Metro Traffic Control in this game. Begin your task at a simple intersection by changing traffic signals at the appropriate pace to keep a low score on the frustration meter.

Grades K-12

The Resilient Teacher Podcast

The Resilient Teacher Podcast hosted by Brittany Blackwell, MEd, offers overwhelmed educators support, tools, and mindset advice to reduce burnout and foster sustainable teaching practices. Brittany and her guests share inspiration every week!

Grades K-12

GoNoodle

Although originally designed for students, GoNoodle’s bursts of movement and brain breaks are an excellent tool for educators too! These activities are based on cutting-edge research and promote health, fitness, and mindfulness.

Grades K-12

The A-Z of Self-Care for Teachers: 26 Tips to Use Today

Discover practical advice designed to help educators manage stress and maintain a healthy work-life balance. This resource covers key strategies, including setting boundaries, practicing mindfulness, staying active, and building a supportive community.

Grades K-12

0h h1

Take a break and try 0h h1, an addictive and challenging game for problem-solving and logic. Choose from four different grid sizes to play, then click on squares to make them yellow or blue. Read the instructions to learn the rules of the game.

This Week at TeachersFirst

We can't wait to see you at our upcoming fall OK2Ask virtual workshops! We’re also sharing our entire collection of self-care resources designed just for teachers like you, our Infusing Technology Blog, and a paid opportunity to join our team as a part-time contributor. Read the details below!