AMI Primary (3-6) Diploma

This course covers an in-depth study of Montessori pedagogy focusing on the developmental needs of children from 3 to 6 years of age.

Course overview

Between the ages of 3 and 6, Maria Montessori called this environment Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House). Having created the foundations of their personality, individuals are taught how to guide children from 3-year-old children to develop and perfect their abilities through the prepared environment.

This course covers how to create real-life activities that support independence and self-efficacy, the manipulation of objects to provide concrete sensorial experience and open-ended exploration leading to the refinement of their movements, sensory perceptions, language and the development of their intellect.

Materials and activities are designed to support self-directed discovery and learning and are organized around:

  • Practical Life activities that develop both independence and social skills
  • Sensorial activities that refine sensory perception
  • The development of Spoken Language, Writing and Reading skills and Mathematical activities that develop fundamental mathematical concepts as well as
  • Activities that reflect upon our human understanding of geography, history, biology, science, music, and the arts.

Successful completion of this course leads to being awarded the internationally recognized Primary (3-6 years) Diploma from Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) and a South African NQF Level 5 qualification.

Course format:

This course is offered in modular format and takes place over a period of approximately 18 weeks over the period of 12-18 months. It includes lectures, practice with materials, creation of child-centred materials, observations and reading and discussions. Individuals on the course will create their own manuals, or albums, from what they learn on the course.

Applications for this course are currently closed. More information about upcoming courses to be shared here.

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“It’s amazing how we absorb everything in such a short amount of time. I noticed how now I’m observing everything and everyone now! I have that in me now. It’s all just natural. What you learn, its just natural… I love to go the LCH in the morning. How I work with the children, how I speak to the children, the language, it has changed. Before I could never speak Montessori. The other teachers would talk about the spindle boxes and the (brown stairs). I was confused. I could see children work with (the materials) and could never understand.  I am so grateful… I really want to make a difference, to do something, especially with the farm children because I meet with them, with the parents and I know their background”

“I was definitely not where I was with knowledge and understanding in the previous module. I absorbed in the first module and this module feels like it is about application. It is taking place in me before it goes to the child. It’s how I’m learning. The course is showing me the kind of person I want to be, a better person, and shows me what I want to see in other people”

“I gained more confidence in each module. I can do things better. I’m not afraid of it because of how I learn here, how I do things. I’m not perfect but I’m getting there. I used to not be able to talk to people. I used to think about my school and things would come into my head and worry me. But when I get into the gate of the Institute, I forget about everything else. Now, I am able to concentrate.”

“I used the walking on the line activity with the children in church and it worked. There were around 30-40 children and they all became silent…What BethAnn [one of the 3-6 Trainers] said is that what we learn here are “pockets of gifts given to the child”. But actually, these are pockets of gifts that I feel I’ve received. The way they present and do things in the classroom. It is really wonderful.”

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