California reader and mom Sheila Yakel uses a dry-erase board by the front door. Each day she writes a question or two for her children to answer before they leave for school.

To help with spelling words, she writes a sentence and leaves out one word—a spelling word from the week’s list.

To help her kids brush up on math facts, she may write a short math problem on the board. One day, it might be a quick review of some addition problems. The next day, it might be the times tables.

Some days her kids find a social studies question. What’s the capital of Georgia? Who was the first president? Occasionally she writes a multiple-choice question and her kids have to choose the best answer.

As her children answer correctly, they earn stickers. After they’ve earned a specific number, the whole family gets a treat—an ice-cream cone, a special DVD, or a new book to enjoy.

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