Understanding the child
Meet the central ideas that inform Montessori work with children aged three to six.
AMI · Certificate · 3–6
AMI Primary (3–6) Orientation & Assistants Certificate Course
Discover how to support children and the guide in a Montessori Children’s House. This introductory certificate develops understanding of observation, independence, language and the prepared environment; it is distinct from the full 3–6 teaching diploma.
Primary Orientation & AssistantsEnquire about this programme
Pathway
Certificate
Age focus
3–6
Next cohort
To be confirmed
Format
To be confirmed
YOUR PATHWAY
Who this journey is for.
- Classroom assistants
- Parents and carers
- Educators exploring Montessori for the first time
IDEAS INTO PRACTICE
What you will explore.
The themes below introduce the educational focus. Your confirmed programme handbook will specify the curriculum and requirements.
The assisting adult
Consider how an assistant can support the guide while protecting the child’s concentration and independence.
Order and preparation
Explore the everyday routines and care that keep a shared environment welcoming and usable.
Observation and communication
Practise noticing before intervening, and reflect on communication that respects both children and colleagues.
THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Knowledge becomes practice.
Explore Montessori ideas through presentations, discussion, selected reading, practical exercises and observation. Focus on how an assistant can offer useful support while protecting children’s growing independence.
A community of learners
Bring your questions and your experience. Professional preparation asks us to examine our own responses as carefully as the environments we prepare for children.
Study commitment
The supplied AMI assistants brochure describes 60 taught hours and nine hours of observation. The Institute’s 2022 orientation handbook describes a specific online cohort. Confirm the current title, taught hours and delivery arrangement with admissions.
Where this pathway can lead
An introduction to assisting in a Montessori Children’s House. The certificate is not a qualification to lead a classroom as a diploma-trained guide or to train other teachers.
Your faculty
Programme-specific teaching appointments are to be confirmed. Meet the wider Institute community while admissions prepares the details for your cohort.
Meet our peoplePLAN YOUR STUDY
Dates, fees & entry requirements.
- Next dates
- To be confirmed with admissions
- Duration
- To be confirmed with admissions
- Delivery format
- To be confirmed with admissions
- Teaching location
- To be confirmed with admissions
- Fees
- To be confirmed with admissions
- Entry requirements
- The existing Institute page and supplied handbook require proficiency in English and an application with a short personal statement. Ask admissions for the current checklist.
- Observation & practice
- Nine hours of observation are described in the supplied brochure and handbook.
- Assessment
- The supplied handbook specifies at least 90% attendance, three original papers of 500 words and nine observation hours. Current certification requirements must be confirmed for the chosen cohort.
- Award & awarding body
- Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), as described in the supplied reference documents. Confirm the current cohort’s award with admissions.
- Support options
- To be confirmed with admissions
Descriptions are based on the supplied reference PDFs and the existing Institute programme page, reviewed 16 October 2026. Confirm current dates, fees, delivery, faculty and certification requirements with admissions. No current fees or dates are inferred from older listings.
Your admissions journeyREAD BEFORE YOU APPLY
Your course documents.
Explore the educational outline in the brochure and the fuller study expectations in the handbook.
Reference editions, not a current course offer. These PDFs include older schedules, fees, contacts and policies. Confirm the latest details with admissions before applying or making payments.
PDF · 1.1 MB · Reference edition
Course brochure
March 2013
Read course brochure (PDF, new tab) ↗Download PDF ↓PDF · 0.5 MB · Reference edition
Student handbook
23 May 2022
Read student handbook (PDF, new tab) ↗Download PDF ↓A LITTLE MORE CLARITY
Questions we hear.
Are orientation and assistant training the same?
The existing Institute catalogue groups these pathways together. Ask admissions to confirm whether the next offering includes a separate assistant component, its requirements and the exact certificate awarded.
When can I join, and what will it cost?
The next dates and fees are to be confirmed. Contact admissions for the current course information before making travel, employment or financial arrangements.
Who will teach the course?
Faculty assignments are confirmed for each cohort. Ask admissions for the teaching team and programme handbook for the offering you are considering.
A PERSONAL CONVERSATION
We would be delighted
to hear from you.
Tell us what brings you here. Please do not include children’s details or sensitive personal documents.
admin@indabainstitute.org
+27 63 649 8191
B14 Newberry House Montessori School, Lourensford Wine Estate, Somerset West, 7130, South Africa
Please arrange visits with the team.
KEEP EXPLORING
Other pathways.
AMI · Diploma
010–3years
Assistants to Infancy
Prepare to guide children through the first three years of life. This diploma brings Montessori pedagogy together with developmental study, observation and practical work in infant and toddler environments.
AMI · Diploma
023–6years
Primary · Children’s House
Prepare to guide a Montessori Children’s House for children aged three to six. Study child development and the purposeful use of practical life, sensorial, language and mathematics materials, supported by observation and teaching practice.
AMI · Diploma
036–12years
Elementary
Prepare to guide children aged six to twelve through an interconnected exploration of the world. Study Montessori elementary development and Cosmic Education, linking language, mathematics, sciences, history and the arts through imagination and enquiry.