Teachers push their voice harder than almost any other profession. This checklist is your simple, practical guide to keeping your voice strong, clear, and reliable all year long.

Use it daily, weekly, and monthly to prevent hoarseness, cut strain, and support long-term vocal health.

Daily Teacher Voice Care Checklist

Before School

• ✔ Slow, low breathing (3 cycles)
• ✔ 10–15 seconds of gentle humming
• ✔ Relax jaw and tongue for 10 seconds
• ✔ Speak first sentences brighter and softer to find resonance
• ✔ Shoulders down, chest relaxed, neck loose

During Class

• ✔ Speak on the exhale
• ✔ Use brightness, not loudness, to project
• ✔ Insert micro-breaks during transitions
• ✔ Hum quietly for one second if strain appears
• ✔ Walk closer instead of shouting across the room

After School

• ✔ 10-second gentle hum reset
• ✔ Light neck and jaw release
• ✔ Three slow breathing cycles

Weekly Teacher Voice Care Checklist

Use this routine once a week — Friday afternoon or Sunday night works best.

• ✔ Six cycles of low, slow breathing
• ✔ Two minutes of humming
• ✔ One minute of lip trills
• ✔ Gentle jaw stretch downward
• ✔ Light forward tongue stretch
• ✔ Speak five sentences with forward resonance
• ✔ Take a 10–15 minute quiet recovery window

Monthly Teacher Voice Care Checklist

These monthly habits help reduce long-term damage and tension accumulation.

• ✔ Evaluate how much you’re speaking vs. students speaking
• ✔ Note whether hoarseness is appearing weekly
• ✔ Observe breathing patterns during stressful days
• ✔ Adjust classroom layout to reduce projection strain
• ✔ Take one “voice reset day” monthly with extra rest

Signs the Checklist Is Working

• Your voice lasts longer during the day
• Less frequent hoarseness
• A more open, relaxed throat
• Projection feels easier
• Students hear you more clearly without raising your voice

When You Should Seek Help

If you are:

• hoarse every week
• losing your voice often
• feeling strain by mid-day
• needing to push to project

…you likely need targeted technique — not just rest.