Teacher Holly Shannon talks about what to do if your six (6) year old can barely read:

If you're child’s having a little bit of trouble concentrating on his or her homework book, usually this happens with 5, 6 and 7 year olds when they’re learning to read.  There’s a couple things you need to remember as a parent. School is hard work.  Your child is working hard all day…especially if they’re learning to read.  So, when your little girl sits down and needs to read her homework book, and she’s a beginning reader, set a timer for about 6 minutes.  It’s about the same as their age.  She’s working really hard on every letter and every word and gaining meaning from the pictures.  After about 6 minutes, take a break.  If you want to come back and do it again, do another 6 minutes. But, remember, it’s really hard work when your child is learning to read. Read in small increments