-- Follow with a finger. Encourage your child to read with a "guide finger"—his index finger that underlines words as he reads them. This can be a helpful reading strategy if he regularly loses his place, skips lines, and omits or repeats words.
-- Stick 'em up. Have your child mark important passages with sticky notes, so she can find them later. Use a symbol for each topic, for example, a smiley face for information about a character, a house for setting, a star for important ideas, etc.
-- Pace read-alouds. Suggest that your child take a short breath at each comma and a regular breath at the end of each sentence. This will improve his reading pace—and comprehension.
-- Find the five W's. Focus on who, what, when, where, why, and how when reading. Help your child track them with a chart.
-- See it. Help your child visualize a story by seeing it as a movie in her mind. As she reads, the movie should change. This will help her remember characters, facts, and concepts.