I begin by reminding them that our manipulatives are "tools, not toys" and are to be treated with care and respect. I then tell them that anyone who chooses to misuse materials or not follow directions will earn a one-way ticket to "Worksheet City".
This means that, instead of the fun, hands-on activity we're all engaged in, that person will have to do a boring worksheet or two to learn the same thing. So far this year, no one has hopped that train and there was only one customer last year!
This is meant to be a low-stress, class-joke way of encouraging correct behavior while still having real consequences. Do you have a similar system in your classroom?
