How to Start a FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Team
- Does your child's school already have a FIRST LEGO League team? Sometimes they're set up as after-school STEM programs or extra-curricular robotics clubs. If not, proceed to the next step to start an FLL team of your own.
- Choose team members (and choose wisely). Ideally, you'll form an alliance with two or more families.
- How to find these families? Think through your social circle - church, school, work... all that matters is that they have kids of a similar age and that they're roughly aligned with you in their goals and worldview.
- Ideally, find families that already own LEGO Mindstorms EV3 sets or who are willing to make the investment (the sets can be purchased on LEGO's website for $350).
- Register officially once you have between 3 and 10 students confirmed.
- Provide your team with the necessary resources:
- Beware of free resources made by veteran teams or coaches who may not be the best to guide you. They mean well... but remember that experience doesn't necessarily equal competence. If you're accepting help from local teams or from professional institutions, look not only for experience but for success. Has their team won any awards at state or international competitions? More importantly, are their kids happy and do they get along? If the answer to both of those isn't 'yes', accept their help but use common sense and don't blindly follow their advice.
Learn more about our Online LEGO Robotics Masterclass, designed specifically for FLL students: https://robot-academy.com/first-lego-league-the-ultimate-guide/
Read the official info on how to start a team (there's a lot of unnecessary info to sift through here, but some essential info as well): https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/fll/start-a-team