Grades 2–8. Creative Problem Solving. Real Innovation. Endless Discovery.
See FIRST LEGO League In Action
Discover how students solve real-world challenges through hands-on engineering, teamwork, innovation, and creative problem solving.
What Happens During an FLL Season?
FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Founders Edition is a hands-on STEM program for students in grades 2–8. Teams explore real-world challenges, design creative solutions, and develop engineering, coding, teamwork, and problem-solving skills based on LEGO robotics sets. FLL Founders follows a school calendar year and includes two age-appropriate program experiences: Explore and Challenge. For Kentucky Challenge teams, Kentucky organizations are planning six first-round tournaments where teams qualify for the KY state Championship for the Founders Edition. The top KY team at the state championship advances to the world championship in Texas hosted by FIRST. Each FLL Explore team will be able to attend an FLL Explore Festival in either Hazard, Bowling Green, or northern Kentucky for the Foundation Edition.
FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Future Edition is a one-year pilot. LEGO Robotics sets are not permitted in FLL Future events, only LEGO's Computer Science & AI kits. No FLL Future Edition events are planned for Kentucky at this time.
TYPICAL FLL TIMELINE
August
Season Launch & Challenge Reveal
The annual challenge is released. Teams explore the theme, begin researching the real-world problem, and start designing, building, and programming.
October - December
Team Development
Teams research, design, build, program, test, and refine their robot while developing their Innovation Project and Core Values.
December - February
Tournament Season
Teams participate in qualifying tournaments and championship events, showcasing their robot design, Innovation Project, and teamwork.
Spring - Summer
Celebrate & Grow
Teams celebrate their accomplishments, participate in outreach, share what they learned, and prepare for the next season.
THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Learn the Challenge
Students explore the annual challenge, research the theme, and develop creative ideas and solutions.
Design & Build
Teams design, build, test, and refine a robot to complete missions while applying the engineering design process.
Innovation Project
Students investigate a real-world problem, develop an innovative solution, and share their ideas with others.
Tournament Experience
Teams demonstrate their robot, present their Innovation Project, and showcase their Core Values at tournaments.
Beyond Competition
Teams demonstrate their robot, present their Innovation Project, and showcase their Core Values at tournaments.
Start Your FLL Journey
There are many ways to get involved with FIRST LEGO League and inspire the next generation of innovators, problem solvers, and STEM leaders.
Upcoming FIRST LEGO League Events
Upcoming FLL Events
Featured Events
Find FLL Challenge tournaments and opportunities across Kentucky. Click any event for details.
Looking for community & Outreach events? Our Community Calendar includes public demonstrations, outreach events, workshops, and other opportunities to experience FIRST Robotics across Kentucky. To stay up-to-date on program-specific competitions and meetings, subscribe to the FLL, FTC, FRC, and Community calendars.
Team Registration
Register your team with FIRST to learn about local competition opportunities.
Kentucky FIRST LEGO League Partner
Northern Kentucky University's Center for Integrative Natural Science and Mathematics (CINSAM) serves as the Kentucky FIRST LEGO League program partner. Visit their website for Kentucky-specific information about the FIRST LEGO League season.