The future will not be built by those who memorize the most, but by those who know how to adapt, solve problems and create new solutions. This is what it means to educate for entrepreneurship in children, how to do it by age, and what Best Schools in Spain schools are already achieving.
For years, education focused on preparing students to answer existing questions well. But the world has changed more in the last twenty years than in the previous century, and will continue to do so. The World Economic Forum (WEF) estimates that 65% of today’s primary school children will work in jobs that do not yet exist.
In view of this, the relevant question is not how much content a student learns, but what kind of people we are training. And that is where entrepreneurship ceases to be a complement and becomes a real educational priority.
“We’re not talking about setting up companies at 12 years old. We’re talking about developing people who know how to think, act and adapt, and that makes a difference in any area of their life.”
The CICAE Entrepreneurship Club: 700 students, AI projects and real results
It’s not theory. In April 2026, more than 700 students from schools across Spain participated in the first edition of the CICAE Entrepreneurship Club, a program that puts ESO and Bachillerato students to create real innovative projects using artificial intelligence, with phases of validation, pitch before a professional jury and recognition of the best.
What it really means to have an entrepreneurial spirit
There is a common misconception that entrepreneurship is synonymous with starting a business. In reality, entrepreneurship is a mindset, not a profession. And the CICAE Entrepreneurship Club projects are a perfect example of this: its participants are not creating companies, they are learning to identify real problems and build solutions with impact.
A child or adolescent with an entrepreneurial spirit is someone who:
- propose your own ideas instead of always waiting for instructions
- seeks solutions when something doesn’t work, instead of giving up.
- better tolerates error and uses it as information
- takes initiative in own and collective projects
- learns to make decisions by assuming the consequences of his or her decisions
- adapts when the context changes without locking
What students at BSS schools are already doing
The best argument for entrepreneurship in children is not theory: it is results. These are the three winning projects of the first edition of the CICAE Entrepreneurship Club, developed by secondary and high school students:
App that transforms school organic waste into compost, connecting schools with farmers. Circular economy applied from the classroom.
None of these projects arose in a vacuum. They are the result of months of work where students learned to identify a real problem, design a solution, validate it and defend it before professionals. This is entrepreneurial education in action.
“What we are experiencing today is not the end of a process, but the beginning of a path that has just begun.“- José Antonio Rois, President of CICAE
Why these skills will become more and more decisive
The labor and social model is changing at an unprecedented speed. The most valued skills are not those most easily automated by a machine. According to the World Economic Forum, these are the six most in demand in the coming years:
The #1 most demanded
Adapting to change
Real autonomy
Working with others
Complex and new
Oral, written and digital
The CICAE Entrepreneurship Club projects work on exactly these competencies: communication (pitch to a jury), teamwork and leadership (multidisciplinary teams), solving real problems (projects with impact) and the use of technology (applied artificial intelligence).
How to encourage entrepreneurship in children according to their age
The entrepreneurial mindset is not taught as an isolated subject. It is developed progressively, adapted to each stage of cognitive and emotional development.
3-6 - Children
At this age, the goal is not to teach entrepreneurship: it is not to turn it off. Children are born with curiosity and initiative. Excessive instructions and constant control are their greatest enemy.
7-11 - Primary
In elementary school, they begin to enjoy understanding how things work. It is the ideal time for hands-on projects with real goals, where the process matters more than the perfect result.
Examples of activities that work
Create a mini school magazine – Organize a charity market – Design something useful with recycled materials – Manage a small budget – Create a podcast on a topic of interest to them
12-16 - High School
Early adolescence is the most decisive stage for consolidating these skills. They can already handle complexity, failure and the consequences of their decisions. This is exactly the profile of the CICAE Entrepreneurship Club: students from 3rd ESO to Baccalaureate developing real projects with AI.
The most common mistake: overprotecting and solving everything for them.
Many parents with the best intentions end up eliminating, without realizing it, any space for autonomy.
A child who never makes decisions, never manages frustration and never seeks his own solutions is unlikely to develop self-confidence. CICAE Entrepreneurship Club students spent months facing real problems, making decisions without a predefined right answer and learning from error. That experience cannot be replicated by doing their homework for them.
“Am I solving this because you can’t do it, or because it’s faster and more convenient for me?”
| Accompanying (promotes autonomy) | Overprotect (inhibits it) |
|---|---|
| “What do you think you could do?” | Solve the problem before you try |
| Let him/her make mistakes and reflect | Avoid any situation that may frustrate him/her |
| Give real and adequate responsibilities | Do for them what they could already do on their own |
| Valuing effort and process | Reward only the result and avoid failure |
| Listen to their ideas, even if they are imperfect. | Redirect to the “right” solution right away |
What schools that promote these skills do differently
The most advanced educational models have been incorporating this approach for years. The schools recognized by Best Schools in Spain (BSS), many of them belonging to the CICAE network, work on methodologies that prioritize the integral development of the student beyond the academic record.
Project-based learning (PBL)
Students work on real, interdisciplinary challenges that require them to research, collaborate, decide and present concrete results. The CICAE Entrepreneurship Club format is a direct example of this model.
Integrated technology and AI
Not as an isolated subject, but as a tool for the projects. The three winning projects of the CICAE 2026 Club integrated artificial intelligence as part of their solution.
Impact on the real community
TerraLoop (circular economy), Play2Grow (child development) and Fresko (responsible consumption) are examples of SDG-oriented projects with potential for real impact beyond the classroom.
Real professional experience
Juries with business professionals, collaboration with Junior Achievement, McGraw Hill and Camilo José Cela University. Students defend their projects in an environment that replicates the professional world.
Entrepreneurship begins long before a company is created.
An entrepreneurial child is not the one who wants to set up a startup. It is the one who has initiative, proposes solutions, learns to adapt and is not paralyzed by mistakes. And these skills, as demonstrated by the more than 700 students of the CICAE Entrepreneurship Club, can be worked on, measured and developed in the classroom.
That’s why fostering entrepreneurship in children is no longer an educational trend. It’s a real need in a world that will continue to change faster than we can predict. And the good news is that there are schools, and there are programs, that are already doing it.
Frequently asked questions about entrepreneurship in children and adolescents
What is entrepreneurship in children and adolescents?
It is the ability to take initiative, solve problems, propose ideas and act autonomously. It does not imply creating companies: it implies developing transferable skills for any area of life. A concrete example are the participants of the CICAE Entrepreneurship Club, who did not create startups but projects with real impact oriented to social and environmental problems.
What is the CICAE Entrepreneurship Club?
It is an educational program of CICAE (Círculo de Calidad Educativa) that promotes the development of innovative projects with artificial intelligence. In its first edition, held in April 2026, more than 700 students from all over Spain participated, organized into 188 teams, from 3rd ESO to Bachillerato. The 15 finalist teams presented their projects before a jury made up of business and university professionals. Best Schools in Spain is part of the CICAE network.
At what age can you start encouraging entrepreneurship?
From the age of 3, although in very different ways depending on the stage. In Infants we work preserving natural curiosity and free play. In Primary through practical projects with real objectives. In Secondary through programs such as the CICAE Entrepreneurship Club, where students develop real projects with impact, use technology and defend their ideas before professional juries.
What are the most important entrepreneurial skills for the future?
According to the World Economic Forum, the most in-demand skills are: analytical and creative thinking, resilience and cognitive flexibility, motivation and self-management, leadership, complex problem solving and effective communication. CICAE Entrepreneurship Club projects work on exactly these competencies: students research, collaborate, use AI, make decisions and present results to professionals.
How to foster entrepreneurial thinking at home?
Mainly by giving them space: to decide, to make mistakes and to find their own solutions. It also helps to involve them in real family decisions and to value the process over the perfect result. The biggest mistake is overprotection: a child who never manages frustration will hardly develop the resilience that the students of the CICAE Entrepreneurship Club train during months of work on real projects.
What differentiates a BSS school in fostering entrepreneurship in children?
The schools recognized by Best Schools in Spain, integrated in the CICAE network, work with active methodologies that go beyond the academic record. They participate in programs such as the CICAE Entrepreneurship Club, integrate technology into real projects, collaborate with universities and business organizations, and prepare their students to defend their ideas before professional juries. The difference is not only in the content they teach, but in how their students learn.
Looking for a school that will prepare your child for the world to come?
Best Schools in Spain schools belong to the CICAE network and participate in programs such as the Entrepreneurship Club, where students learn by doing, with real projects, technology and professional standards.