Ages 9-16 (4th-8th Grade)

Competitive Robotics

Join a team and compete! Design, build, and program robots to solve real-world challenges in the FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge. Work with a team of 4-10 students to prepare for regional and state tournaments while building teamwork, problem-solving, and presentation skills.

Students who've completed our Foundations of Robotics program have a head start and get first priority in forming teams!

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Program Overview

Full Season

September - December

Team-Based

Collaborative learning

Tournaments

Regional & state competitions

What Your Child Will Learn

Robot design and building with LEGO® Spike Prime

Block/Python programming for bot

Innovation project research and presentation

Competition strategy and teamwork

Core values and gracious professionalism

Problem-solving under pressure

About FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge

FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge is a global robotics competition that guides students through STEM learning and exploration at a level appropriate for their skills and interests. Teams work on four key components throughout the season, culminating in tournament judging and competition where they showcase their hard work, problem-solving skills, and teamwork.

Four Key Components

Design, build, and program an autonomous robot to complete missions on the challenge field in 2.5 minutes. Teams strategize which missions to attempt and optimize their robot's performance.

• • 15+ mission challenges per season
• • Strategic planning and optimization
• • Multiple competition rounds

Research a real-world problem related to the season's theme, develop an innovative solution, and present findings to judges. Teams learn research methods, critical thinking, and presentation skills.

• • Problem identification and research
• • Creative solution development
• • Professional presentation to judges

Document the engineering design process, explain mechanical and programming choices, and demonstrate iterative improvement. Teams show judges their systematic approach to building and coding.

• • Engineering notebook documentation
• • Design iteration and improvement
• • Technical presentation skills

Demonstrate teamwork, collaboration, and gracious professionalism throughout the season. Teams learn to work together, help others, and compete with integrity and respect.

• • Discovery, teamwork, and inclusion
• • Innovation and impact
• • Fun and gracious professionalism

LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group. FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a global non-profit. FIRST and LEGO are not overseeing, involved, associated, or responsible for the activities, product, curriculum, or service.

Season Timeline

Click each phase to explore the full FLL season journey—from skills development through championships.

← Swipe to see all phases →

PRE

Skills Development

Spring After-School or Summer Camp

Before the competitive season begins, students build foundational robotics skills through our Foundations of Robotics program. This preparation gives them a significant advantage when forming competition teams.

What Students Learn:

• • LEGO SPIKE Prime building and mechanics
• • Block-based programming fundamentals
• • Sensor integration (color, distance, force)
• • Problem-solving and debugging skills
• • Teamwork and collaboration basics

★ Students who complete Foundations get priority placement on competition teams!

AUG

Challenge Release

Season Kick-off

FIRST® releases the new season challenge, revealing this year's theme, robot game missions, and innovation project focus area. This is when the excitement begins!

What Happens:

• • New challenge theme announced worldwide
• • Game rules and mission details released
• • Innovation project topic revealed
• • Team registration opens
• • Coaches review materials and plan the season

🚀 Watch for our team registration announcement in early August!

SEP

Team Formation & Season Start

Practice Begins

Teams are formed and regular practice sessions begin. Students dive into the challenge, starting robot design and innovation project research under expert coaching guidance.

Getting Started:

• • Teams of 4-10 students formed
• • Twice-weekly 90-minute practice sessions begin
• • Initial robot base design and construction
• • Innovation project brainstorming and research
• • Team roles and responsibilities assigned

2x

Weekly Sessions

90

Minutes Each

OCT

Practice & Scrimmages

Build, Iterate, Compete

Teams ramp up preparation with intensive practice and friendly scrimmages against other teams. This is where robots take shape and strategies are refined through real competition experience.

Key Activities:

• • Build and iterate on robot design
• • Develop autonomous mission programs
• • Practice scrimmages with other local teams
• • Refine innovation project presentation
• • Tournament registration completed

Why Scrimmages Matter:

Scrimmages give teams real competition experience before qualifiers—testing robots under pressure, practicing presentations, and learning from other teams' approaches.

NOV

Qualifier Tournament

Competition Day!

Teams compete at a regional qualifier tournament featuring multiple robot game rounds and judging sessions. This is where all the hard work pays off!

Tournament Day:

• • 3 robot game rounds (2:30 minutes each)
• • Innovation project judging session
• • Robot design presentation to judges
• • Core values demonstration
• • Awards ceremony and recognition

3

Robot Rounds

2:30

Per Round

4

Judging Areas

DEC

Regional Championships

Next Level Competition

Qualifying teams advance to regional championship tournaments, competing at a higher level with top teams from across the region. The stakes are higher and the competition is fierce!

Championship Level:

• • Advancement based on awards or performance
• • Compete with top teams from the region
• • More rigorous judging sessions
• • Additional advancement opportunities
• • Enhanced awards and recognition

🏆 Top performers advance to the State Championship in January!

JAN

State Championship

Season Finale

The pinnacle of the FLL season! State championships bring together the best teams for elite-level competition, with potential paths to the FIRST Championship and international events.

The Grand Finale:

• • State's top teams competing
• • Elite-level judging and competition
• • Prestigious awards and recognition
• • Potential path to FIRST Championship
• • Season celebration and reflection

Beyond State:

Top teams may qualify for the FIRST Championship—a global event bringing together the world's best young roboticists!

Program Details

Schedule & Format

• Duration: September - December (full season)
• Schedule: Twice weekly, 90 minutes per session
• Age Range: 4th-8th grade (ages 9-16)
• Team Size: 4-10 students per team

What's Included

• Complete LEGO® Spike Prime robotics kit
• All competition entry fees
• Expert coaching and mentorship
• Team t-shirt and materials
• Students bring: Laptop with WiFi capability

More Details Coming Soon!

We're preparing information about competitive robotics teams for the 2025-26 season. Check back soon for team formation details, practice schedules, and registration information, or contact us to learn more.

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