Developing entrepreneurship in primary schools. The Mexican experience of “My first enterprise: Entrepreneurship by playing”

•This study contributes to the literature on entrepreneurial education by showing that entrepreneurial abilities can be developed at the elementary school level.•The Mexican sub-program “My First Company: Entrepreneurship by Playing” was the educational experience (EE) analysed to show the relevance of an early introduction to entrepreneurship.•The quantitative and qualitative analysis of information concluded mentoring is critical to the successful implementation of the entrepreneurship learning experience.•The implementation of EE has the potential of improving the socioeconomic situation of participant communities and increasing self-employment particularly in developing countries.•Further research is required to determine if the positive aspects of the EE, if properly reinforced at higher school levels, contribute to the entrepreneurial activity at the regional level.

“My first enterprise: Entrepreneurship by playing” is a Mexican educational sub-programme designed to promote entrepreneurship at the elementary level. The sub-programme led to the creation of 1327 minicompanies from 2009 to 2014, but a critical research question complementing these results is: how effective is the entrepreneur training sub-programme? A qualitative and quantitative assessment of the sub-programme demonstrated the critical role of tutors (teachers) and advisors, and revealed a significant improvement in the administrative knowledge and entrepreneurial skills of participants, along with a reinforcement of business values.