“Stop and reflect” to aid reading comprehension

To aid in comprehension and to help maintain focus while reading, teach your child how to “stop and reflect.” After every few paragraphs (for a younger child) or pages (for an older child), ask your child to briefly summarize in her own words what she’s just read, and if possible, to make connections between the text and another text, her life, or the larger world. Using these active reading strategies will help ensure your child is staying focused and on task, while also providing a quick litmus test for – and enriching – her understanding.