Start a FIRST LEGO League Team
See your students grow and shine through FIRST® LEGO® League. Starting with Discover, children ages 4-6 are introduced to the fundamentals of STEM while working together to solve fun challenges and building models using LEGO® bricks.
As participants progress into Explore (ages 6-10), children will take their background knowledge of STEM and put it into practice as they work in teams to design and build robots using LEGO Education SPIKETM Essential.
Once they are ready to move into a competitive setting, they join Challenge and apply their STEM skills combined with critical thinking to work with a team, build a robot and compete in an exciting, mission-based Robot Game.
- Teams in the United States and Canada may recruit 2 to 10 team members, ages 9-14 or in the 4-8th grade.
- Teams outside of the United States and Canada may recruit 2-10 team members, ages 9-16.
From Discover, to Explore, and then to Challenge, students will understand the basics of STEM and apply their skills in an exciting competition while gaining productive learning habits, confidence, and teamwork skills along the way.
Click on the + to learn more about the divisions and how to get started.
FIRST LEGO League Discover is a playful introductory STEM program for teams of children ages 4-6, that ignites their natural curiosity and builds their habits of learning. By the end of the program, children emerge more confident, better equipped to face future challenges, and discover the joy of learning. A new and exciting Challenge is presented every year, and each team of four children begins their exploration of this real-world theme with an exclusive LEGO Education Discover Set. With this set as a starting point, they build a solution to the Challenge with LEGO® DUPLO® elements. Teams share their journey, ideas, models, and STEM skills at a celebration event. Throughout their experience, teams operate under the FIRST® Core Values, celebrating discovery and teamwork, all the while having fun!
Additionally, each student is provided with a Discover More set that includes two sets of Six Bricks. Developed by The LEGO Foundation, the sets are a tool for children and their families to practice their memory, movement, creativity, and more through short, fun, playful activities. Learn more about family engagement and FIRST LEGO League here.
Discover is not available as an individual team option and is designed for classrooms or programs that serve 8 or more students. Learn about purchasing a FIRST LEGO League Discover Class Pack.
Each year in August, FIRST LEGO League Explore releases a new Challenge for teams that focuses on a scientific topic. Teams are sent on a journey of discovery to learn all they can about the topic, then present their findings in the form of a team poster and a LEGO model that moves. You may recruit 2 to 6 interested team members ages 6 to 10 or in the 2-4 grade. A coach is allowed to coach multiple teams. Each team must have at least 2 adult coaches. Once you have a team (you do not need all team member names yet), you may register. Explore is available as an individual team or Class Pack.
Class Pack is a non-competitive implementation option for classrooms or after-school programs and provides educators and communities with flexible, high-quality STEM learning experiences for students. Learn about purchasing a FIRST LEGO League Explore Class Pack.
Each Challenge season has three parts: the Robot Game, the Innovation Project, and the FIRST Core Values. Teams in the United States and Canada may recruit 2 to 10 interested team members ages 9 to 14 or in the 4-8 grade. A coach is allowed to coach multiple teams. Each team must have at least 2 adult coaches. Once you have a team (you do not need all team member names yet), you may register. Challenge is available as an individual team or Class Pack.
Class Pack is a non-competitive implementation option for classrooms or after-school programs and provides educators and communities with flexible, high-quality STEM learning experiences for students. Learn about purchasing a FIRST LEGO League Challenge Class Pack.
Familiarize yourself with FIRST LEGO League by checking out the materials on our website and social media pages. Then locate your region’s Program Delivery Partner or FIRST Senior Mentor. These people know the FIRST teams, participating schools, and FIRST-friendly businesses in your area. They can help you form a plan for getting your team funded, organized, and in touch with other teams in the area.
- Contact Local Support
- FIRST LEGO League Explore - How it Works
- FIRST LEGO League Challenge - How it Works
- Start a FIRST LEGO League Explore Team flyer
- Start a FIRST LEGO League Challenge Team flyer
Enlist Coaches and Mentors
Each FIRST LEGO League team needs two adult lead coaches. All skill levels are welcomed and needed, technical or non-technical. Teams need all kinds of skills and creativity to succeed. The most successful coaches are people with at least an interest in science and technology, and in helping kids discover and learn!
Register and Pay
Once registered, your team becomes a part of the worldwide FIRST LEGO League community. You’ll begin receiving communications from FIRST, along with a temporary team number in preparation for event registration in the fall. Part of the registration process includes completing payment for registration and ordering the season materials. (Please note that, until you secure registration, you are not committed to becoming a team.)
To create your team register/login to your FIRST account dashboard. From your account dashboard, click “Create New Team(s)” to start your team's registration and view our Dashboard Tutorial for a step-by-step walkthrough of the process.
Build your team
Find and invite youth team members who want to be part of a robotics team (the easiest part!). Be sure to emphasize that no technical skills are required, just enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. All youth team members are required to have a completed youth registration application and a signed Consent and Release form on an annual basis.
FIRST does not match youth to existing teams due to our privacy policy. Teams form in local communities and recruit as needed. We encourage those looking for a team to contact local schools, libraries, or youth organizations that may have a team in place or an interest in starting one. An online search may also be helpful, as some teams share contact information through websites and social media pages.