Learning through Play – Building Entrepreneurial and Leadership Skills in Early Childhood

. Early childhood is a critical period for the development of basic life skills, including orientation in an unfamiliar environment, decision making, risk taking, communication, goal setting, organization, control. By presenting the practice of three leading children's science centers, the thesis is advocated that a significant part of the activities developed on the "play and learn" principle develop leadership and entrepreneurial skills in children. The conclusions drawn emphasize the importance of the early inclusion of educational formats that, through targeted structured play, develop specific skills in children that are key to their successful implementation in the future, including goal-setting, information analysis, decision-making, coping with challenges, problem solving, risk taking, prototyping, communication and negotiation, organization and performance control, role allocation, cooperation and teamwork. This can serve as a starting point in the design of an effective learning environment for the development of leadership and entrepreneurial skills within the formal and informal education systems.