Are you looking for ways to teach students not to destroy other people’s property? If so, keep reading.

1. Give an organizer for learning materials inside the learner’s desk.

2. Teach the learner appropriate care and handling of others’ property (e.g., sharpening borrowed pencils, keeping books free of marks and tears, etc.).

3. Make sure that all personal property is tagged with the learner’s name.

4. Teach the learner that borrowing personal property from others does not lessen their responsibility for the property.

5. Teach the learner how to conserve rather than waste learning materials (e.g., amount of glue, tape, etc., to use; putting lids, caps, and tops on such learning materials as markers, pens, bottles, jars, cans; etc.).

6. Teach the learner appropriate ways to deal with anger and frustration rather than destroying others’ property (e.g., pencils, pens, workbooks, notebooks, textbooks, etc.).

7. Teach the learner how to handle property belonging to others (e.g., keep property with them, know where the property is at all times, secure property in a locker, etc.).

8. Give the learner an appropriate space to store/secure others’ property (e.g., desk, locker, closet, etc.) and require the learner to store all property when not in use.

9. Teach the learner that the failure to care for others’ property will result in the loss of freedom to use others’ property.

10. Give reminders (e.g., a list of property or learning materials) to help the learner keep and care for school properly.

11. Restrict the learner’s freedom to take property from school if they are unable to remember to return the things.

12. Restrict the learner’s chances to use others’ property if the learner is unable to care for their own personal property.

13. Minimize the number of learning materials for which the learner is responsible. As the learner shows appropriate responsibility for the property, slowly increase the number of learning materials for which the learner is responsible.

14. Teach the learner safety rules in the care and handling of others’ property and learning materials (e.g., pencils, scissors, compass; biology, industrial arts, and home economics learning materials; etc.).

15. Require that lost or damaged property be replaced by the learner. If the learner cannot replace the property, compensation can be made by working at school.

16. Consider using an adaptive behavior management app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

17. Click here to learn about six bonus strategies for challenging problem behaviors and mastering classroom management.

18. Consider using a socio-emotional learning app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

19. Consider using an emotional intelligence app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

20. Consider using a school counseling app. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.