Arizona
FIRST® LEGO® League

FIRST® LEGO® League inspires youth to experiment and grow their critical thinking, coding and design skills through hands-on STEM learning.

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Hands-on learning

FIRST® LEGO® League introduces science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, to children ages 4–14 through fun, exciting hands-on learning.

FIRST® LEGO® League participants gain real-world problem-solving experiences through a guided, global robotics program, helping today’s students and teachers build a better future together.

Students engage in hands-on STEM experiences, building confidence, growing their knowledge and developing habits of learning.

FIRST® LEGO® League empowers kids to become collaborative problem solvers, ready to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

FIRST ® empowers students nationwide

The world’s leading youth-serving nonprofit advancing STEM education

Founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, or FIRST®, is a global nonprofit (501(c)(3)) organization that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4–18 (PreK–12). FIRST® programs are suitable for schools or structured afterschool activities and receive support from a vast network of volunteers, educators and sponsors/donors, including over 200 Fortune 500 companies.

FIRST® prepares young people for the future through a suite of life-changing youth robotics programs that build skills, confidence and resilience. Our team-based PreK–12 robotics programs can be facilitated in school classrooms or as a structured after-school program in schools, libraries, youth organizations, community groups and homeschools.

For more than 35 years, FIRST® has been bringing competitive robotics to life. FIRST® works because its programs use strategies known to increase student interest in STEM: hands-on learning, working as a team on real-life problems, exposure to careers and adult mentors, emphasis on FIRST® core values and a culminating celebration where students can showcase what they created and learned.

Since 2008, Arizona State University has been proud to have partnered with FIRST® to empower Arizona students to explore STEM.

See your child grow

See your child grow and shine through FIRST® LEGO® League. Starting with the Discover phase, children are introduced to the fundamentals of STEM while working together to solve fun challenges and building models using LEGO® bricks.

As participants progress into the Explore program, children will take their background knowledge of STEM and put it into practice as they work in teams to design and build robots using the LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential Robots.

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 robotics game.

Students can begin their FIRST® LEGO® League journey with Discover and progress through Explore and Challenge. Children can also join any division based on their age or grade level.

Stages of learning for FIRST® LEGO® League

The FIRST® LEGO® League program is further broken down into three programs that guide young children through STEM learning and exploration at an early age. 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 habits of learning, confidence and teamwork skills along the way.

Grades

PreK–1

Ages

4–6

  • Learn through play.
  • Develop key habits of learning.
  • Introductory STEM program.
  • Designed for classrooms or programs that serve eight or more students.
  • Not available as an individual team option.

Grades

2–4

Ages

6–10

  • Introduction to coding.
  • Investigate a real-world theme.
  • Problem-solving and working as a team.
  • Delivered in-class or as a team of 2–6 members.
  • Teams participate in friendly local festivals between December and April.
A young kid works on a LEGO project.

Grades

4–8

Ages

9–14

  • Robotics-based life skills competition.
  • Develop future workplace skills.
  • Real-world research, coding and design.
  • Delivered in-class or as a team of 2–10 members.
  • Teams participate in local qualifiers.
  • Arizona FLL Challenge State Championship is hosted by ASU each January.

A suite of STEM programs for every age

Children can join any of our three programs based on age or grade level.

Engaging Youth in STEM Exploration
FIRST® LEGO® League is a global, hands-on robotics program that introduces young people to the exciting world of STEM.

Through real-world challenges and guided team experiences, participants develop critical thinking, coding, design and teamwork skills — all while having fun building and programming LEGO® robots.

The program is divided into three age-based divisions, each designed to inspire creativity and confidence as students explore STEM in an engaging, supportive environment.

Grades

PreK–8

Ages

4–14

AZ program delivery partner

ASU, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering
Elaine Michaud
[email protected]

Code, design and compete with Robots!
FIRST® Tech Challenge students work together with their mentors to design and build robots to compete in a dynamic and exciting challenge released every September.

Teams program classroom-scale robots to follow autonomous commands before student drivers take control in two-on-two matches.

On and off the field, students develop STEM skills, engage in community outreach, practice engineering innovation and build confidence to help them succeed.

Grades

7–12

Ages

12–18

AZ program delivery partner

CocoNuts FRC Team #2486
Christine Sapio [email protected]
David Thompson [email protected]

The Ultimate Sport for the MindTM. Starting with a Kit of Parts, teams of high school students design, program and build industrial-sized robots to play an action-packed game, released in January. They compete on a themed field as part of a three-team alliance in the spirit of Coopertition®.

In 360-degree learning guided by adult mentors, each FIRST® Robotics Competition team also creates a team identity, raises funds to meet its goals and advances appreciation for STEM in its community.

Grades

9–12

Ages

14–18

AZ program delivery partner

AZFirst
Annalisa Regalado
[email protected]

Start a FIRST® LEGO® League team

Individual team

Anyone can start a FIRST® team. Teams often form through local schools, libraries or youth organizations — but they can also start in a family’s garage or basement, as long as there’s a bit of space and a willingness to host team meetings. Each team needs two adult lead coaches.

Teams need all kinds of talents and creativity to succeed. Individual teams can register to compete in official FIRST® LEGO League events, where they have the opportunity to advance through local and regional competitions.

They can even qualify for the FIRST® Championship, an international celebration of STEM and innovation.

Learn more about individual teams

Class packs

The FIRST® Class Pack is another great option for classrooms or after-school programs. Class Packs provide educators and communities with a flexible, high-quality way to bring the full FIRST® LEGO League experience to a group of students in an educational setting.

Class Pack teams participate in exhibitions and local festivals organized by their school or organization. These teams do not advance through the official competition pathway unless they separately register as individual teams.

Learn more about Class Packs