Hopebridge Develops Circle Time Curriculum

One-of-a-Kind Program Enhances Early Childhood Care with ABA Therapy

If you have ever walked through a Hopebridge center, you know that books and stories fill our walls and bring so much joy and imagination to the daily therapy sessions we provide. While we have always encouraged interactive reading in our centers, we were thrilled to launch our standardized Circle Time Curriculum. Together, Hopebridge clinicians created a fun and educational curriculum to facilitate early childhood education during our applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy) sessions.

What is Circle Time Curriculum?

This unique curriculum pairs the stories we already know and love, such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Hungry Hungry Caterpillar, with accompanying lesson plans, art projects and group activities. By creating an inviting and educational environment, circle time encourages our kiddos to acquire many new skills that are necessary to prepare for a school setting.

When it comes to school readiness, some children with autism can fall behind their peers–not because they don’t have the academic skills, but because they could benefit from extra support around some of their foundational, social and communication skills. Skills like remaining seated, following instructions, and learning in a group setting can be challenging but are essential for children entering the classroom. The structure that circle time creates allows for the development of these necessary skills and many others. The three primary goals for introducing circle time to a child are:

1. Attend – The child will learn to focus on the tasks presented with minimal problem behavior or instructional prompts.
2. Participate – The child will learn to work with peers by following along and providing responses.
3. Learn – The child will acquire new information and skills through engagement with curriculum and peers.

As a caregiver, what can I expect from circle time?

In addition to your child’s one-on-one therapy sessions, there will be opportunities for your child to learn and engage with this curriculum alongside their peers. The group will come together to sing a welcome song that highlights each child and excites them to participate in the educational material to come. Following the welcome song, the group will read that week’s assigned book while focusing on understanding and engagement. After reading the book, the children will continue with the theme and complete different projects like crafts and read aloud targets. To conclude, the group will sing an interactive goodbye song to bring the circle time session to an end and celebrate each child for their participation.

What skills will my child gain from participating in circle time?

Maintaining a structured curriculum will prepare children for future learning, communication, and social successes. The circle time structure can assist children in gaining and generalizing early learning skills, such as:

• taking turns
• choral responding
• following complex routines
• social language and engagement
• imitation
• peer play
• identification of colors and objects

Circle time provides opportunities to learn to receive and follow instruction that are similar to those in a school setting. Circle time is often a part of the daily routine for daycare and preschool or pre-K programs, as well as within some kindergarten and elementary classrooms. Adding this structured time to our ABA therapy sessions helps prepare children to transfer more easily into their next educational journey.

There are so many benefits of a structured circle time curriculum, which is just one more set of educational opportunities for our kids at Hopebridge.

If you are interested in the Hopebridge standardized Circle Time Curriculum and think that your child could benefit from pediatric therapy such as ABA, speech or occupational therapy, please fill out this form on our website to learn more about our services. We are happy to share more about our multidisciplinary approach* and arrange evaluations at one of our centers across the nation.

Get a Sneak Peek at the Circle Time Experience with Spotify Playlists

We’ve gathered readings and songs from the Circle Time curriculum so you can enjoy at home! In English and Spanish!

Experimente los libros, canciones y actividades de Hopebridge Circle Time. Nuestros niños aprenden importantes habilidades auditivas en un entorno grupal. En ingles y español.

 

 

Blog content courtesy of Kaitlynn Coffman

*Informed consent was obtained from the participants in this article. This information should not be captured and reused without express permission from Hopebridge, LLC. Testimonials are solicited as part of an open casting call process for testimonials from former client caregivers. Hopebridge does not permit clinical employees to solicit or use testimonials about therapeutic services received from current clients (Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts 5.07-5.08; BACB, 2020). Hopebridge does not provide any incentives, compensation, or renumeration for testimonials provided by a former client or client caregiver.