We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

This summer, I spent a good amount of time going through all of the resources I have and organizing them.  I found that for the past few years, after moving into an office that had a lot to begin with, there was almost too much for me.

I find that there are several resources and tools I use time and time again.  What are your favorites?

These first three things are what I pull up on my computer every single day when I log in to my computer!

Pandora:  I love Pandora for me, and for my students.  I was so happy last year when someone reflected in a meeting that I always have calming music playing in my room.  I think it sets a tone for relaxation and work.  I switch my stations up depending on what I’m working on, but my favorite stations for school are: Relaxation Time for the Kids, Classical for Studying Radio, Classical for Work Radio and Rockin’ Kids Radio.

Wunderlist:  After news that Wunderlist was bought out by Microsoft and wouldn’t be getting further updates, I have tried probably every other to do list app out there, but I can’t find anything that compares.  I use Wunderlist to keep track of all of my work to-do’s, and I love that I can access it at school, home, on my iPad and on my phone.  I love that I can prioritize things, and, I love the “ding!” sound when I cross something off.

Google Drive:

I keep all of my activities and templates on Google Drive (and just student work/reports, etc. on my hard drive), and it has been awesome.  I also use it to create and share important lists and charts with staff such as state testing accommodations, permissions for counseling groups, etc.  It’s a life saver!

Now, here are my counseling/social skills resources.  I seriously use these every week!

Go Noodle:  I love Go Noodle because it is so engaging and has videos for everything from mindfulness and yoga to energizers.  I find that teachers who start using it love it too!

Jenga:  I don’t know what it is about Jenga, but kids LOVE IT, and I like it because it can help to teacher self-regulation skills in real time, and because I can use it to reinforce any skill.  I rarely play it on it’s own, but have children pick a card or share something they have learned before they can pick a block.  For example, “Okay, tell me a time you have listened with your heart this week…”

Blank Game Boards:  I had printed these off like 2 years ago and not used them, but last year, started using them ALL THE TIME.  Any blank game boards will do, and I use them in the same way as Jenga-to reinforce and teach ANY skill.  I often use them in conjunction with other activities such as task cards.  One way to “up” the excitement is to let students pick a lego person or small object for their pawn.  WAY EXCITING 🙂

Julia Cooke Books:  Julia Cooke books are definitely the most worn on my bookshelf!  She has a book for everything!  My most used are Personal Space Camp and Activity Guide and My Mouth is a Volcano and Activity Guide.  These are great for small group, but also classroom lessons as well!

Social Thinking:  I love the concepts within the Social Thinking curriculum (Whole Body Listening, Expected Behaviors, Thinking about you).  I think this is the foundation for so many of my groups, and a great starting point for the younger kiddos.

Zones of Regulation:  I use this program frequently for my students.  I like the sequence of the lessons, and supplement with a lot of my own activities to transfer skills.  I have lots of visuals in my room, but also classrooms, and I find that students (my own and those I don’t see!) are often drawn to the visuals and start picking up concepts on their own.

What to do when you worry too much: This is such a great book for kids struggling with anxiety.  It makes an analogy about growing tomatoes to growing worries, and has lots of chapters, and skills and tools that really resonate with kids.  It’s so easy to work through that I recommend it to parents as well.

I’ve used 9/10 of these this week alone.  What are your go-to resources and tools?