The summer and its lack of structure can contribute to children’s resistance to reading, exploring academic topics and generally exercising their brains. A certain amount of structure is a good thing according to Richard Selznick, Ph.D., Director of The Cooper Learning Center, and author of The Shut-Down  Learner: Helping Your Academically Discouraged Child.

“You may want to try and make learning part of your routine. Taking your children to the libraryat a set time, for example: 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., three or four days a week may help get them into the mindset and routine of learning in the summer,” Dr. Selznick said in answer to a question during his Health eTalk last week on cooperhealth.org.

Libraries are wonderful locations to get all of us into the mood to stretch our minds.  Dr. Selznick suggests that you talk to the librarians who are experts in identifying just what topics a child might be interested in reading. Is it sports?  Is it babysitting?  Is it animal stories? The librarians can help find just the right books.

Did you also know that taking your child outside can improve their reading  comprehension?  “Anything that builds their knowledge base leads to improved comprehension and understanding,” said Dr. Selznick.

Reading isn’t the only way for children to keep their brains active. You might ask your child to do some task related to planning an outing or family vacation. For example, a youngster might help map out the route you use when planning a driving trip. Taking photographs and/or writing a journal or postcard messages while on a trip can also help stimulate learning this summer.

If your children seem hooked on TV or electronic games, Dr. Selznick recommends using those activities (e.g., going to the library, nature hikes, etc.) to negotiate with your child.

“It should be give and take.  For example, the child reads for an hour, four days a week, and you take them somewhere fun,” he suggests.  “Really it’s not a lot to ask that they spend some time reading,  especially if they are just laying around watching TV or playing video games.”

Most important, Dr. Selznick says, “Be strong!  If they whine, and complain, don’t be so willing to cater to their demands.  Help them  see the “give and you get” mentality.”

Space Still Available at the Summer Reading Camp

Here’s an excellent way to encourage children’s reading skills.  Available for children ages 5 to 12, the Cooper Learning Center provides a four-week camp in Voorhees from Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon. There is still space available in our August camp which begins July 27 to August 20.

The children are organized in small groups according to age and ability. For 5- to 6-year-olds we have the Rookie Readers program.  This addresses emerging reading skills in young children. This program enhances young readers’ ability to read in a whole language or phonics-based program targeting: phonemic awareness, letter and sound knowledge, auditory discrimination, sound blending and segmentation, and listening skills.

For 7- to 12-year-olds there is Beginning and Advanced Decoders. The decoders’ program uses multi-sensory instruction emphasizing phonemic awareness, phonological decoding, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension strategies.  This program focuses on building decoding, fluency, and reading comprehension skills.

Click here for more information on these reading camps or to make an appointment, please call 856.673.4900.

As a division of the Department of Pediatrics at Cooper University Hospital, the Cooper Learning Center uses the proven, evidence-based methods that are the most effective way to teach children to read.

This summer, the Cooper Learning Center is offering two four-week sessions of an innovative Summer Reading Camp that helps children who have reading difficulties and gives other children reading enrichment for the coming school year. The program is designed to actively engage children ages 5 to 12 while developing their reading skills by using multi-sensory materials to teach them how to segment sounds within words.

“We utilize the best components of the best methods,” said Richard Selznick, Ph.D., Director of the Cooper Learning Center and a psychologist.

In addition to improving reading skills through individualized teaching methods, the program offers children a nurturing environment in which to learn, have fun and make friends.

“Children love coming to our summer camp because of the relationship they develop with their teachers and the other children,” Selznick said. He added that special activities, such as weekly visits from the Garden State Discovery Museum, provide supplemental reinforcement to the program.

Pamela Goldberger, Director of the Summer Reading Camp and an Educational Coordinator at the Cooper Learning Center, stressed the program’s benefits for early readers. “The program focuses on developing adequate decoding skills within the foundation of early reading development,” she said. “The program is especially beneficial for children whose skills are in need of more intensive development.”

The Cooper Learning Center’s Summer Reading Camp, located in Voorhees, New Jersey, offers two sessions: June 30 to July 24 and July 28 to August 21. Children can attend one or both sessions. Camp runs Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to noon.

All children receive highly individualized attention, with a student-teacher ratio of no more than five to one. In order to maintain this ratio, the program limits enrollment to ensure individual attention for every child. Children are grouped both by age and ability, providing a comfortable environment that promotes learning success.

Each four-week session provides 48 hours of concentrated instruction—the equivalent of about a year’s worth of weekly, one-hour tutoring sessions during the school year. At the end of each session, parents receive a progress report on their child’s reading performance.

“Parents who send their children to our camp are giving them a gift of learning. They are helping to strengthen their children’s reading foundation, which is of utmost importance in school and in life. Everything revolves around reading,” Goldberger said.

Cooper Learning Center’s Two-Session Summer Reading Camp Program:

• For children ages 5 to 12
• Small groups, organized by age and ability
• Two four-week sessions
• Children can attend one or both sessions: June 30 to July 24 or July 28 to August 21
• Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to noon
• Voorhees, New Jersey

Program Details:

• For 5- to 6-year-olds—Rookie Readers: Rookie Readers addresses emerging reading skills in young children. This program enhances young readers’ ability to read in a whole language or phonics-based program targeting: phonemic awareness, letter and sound knowledge, auditory discrimination, sound blending and segmentation, and listening skills.
• For 7- to 12-year-olds—Beginning and Advanced Decoders: The decoders program uses multi-sensory instruction emphasizing phonemic awareness, phonological decoding, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension strategies. This program focuses on building decoding, fluency, and reading comprehension skills.

Related Links

Cooper Learning Center