WHAT IS FIRST LEGO LEAGUE?

When students are engaged in hands-on STEM experiences, they build confidence, grow their knowledge and develop habits of learning. When adults coach these students, they encourage them to try, fail, and try again, while connecting STEM concepts to real-world examples.

FIRST LEGO League is the most accessible, guided, global robotics competition, helping students and teachers to build a better future together. The program is built around theme-based Challenges to engage children ages 9 to 16* in research, problem solving, coding, and engineering. The foundation of the program is the FIRST Core Values, which emphasize teamwork, discovery, and innovation. Students emerge more confident, excited, and equipped with the skills they need in a changing workforce.

BY THE NUMBERS

IMPACT

The positive impact FIRST LEGO League has on participants is gratifying and well documented. Over 88% are more interested in doing well in school, and 87% have more interest in attending college.

FIRST LEGO League teams get to:

Research challenges facing today’s scientists
Design, build, test and program robots using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® technology
Apply real-world math and science concepts
Learn critical thinking, team-building, and presentation skills
Participate in tournaments and celebrations
Understand and practice Gracious Professionalism®

CORE VALUE

We express the FIRST philosophies of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition through our Core Values:

Discovery: We explore new skills and ideas.
Innovation: We use creativity and persistence to solve problems.
Impact: We apply what we learn to improve our world.
Inclusion: We respect each other and embrace our differences.
Teamwork: We are stronger when we work together.
Fun: We enjoy and celebrate what we do!

YOUNG INNOVATORS PRACTICE IMAGINATIVE THINKING AND TEAMWORK

FIRST® LEGO® League (for ages 9-14*) focuses on solving real-world problems such as surviving in space, food safety, recycling, energy, and more using STEM concepts, plus a big dose of fun.

With the guidance of two or more coaches, teams (2-10 members, grades 4-8) apply science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts to solve a real-world problem.

Teams design, build, and program LEGO® Education SPIKETM Prime and MINDSTORMS® EV3 robots to perform autonomous "missions" on a themed playing field and design innovative solutions to a real-world problem inspired by the theme.

Along their journey, students develop critical-thinking and team-building skills, build STEM self-confidence, and gain valuable perspective on the importance of failure in the learning process.