FLL Explore

About the Program

FIRST^® LEGO^® League Explore is one of three divisions by age group of the FIRST^® LEGO^® League program and serves children ages 6–10. This program inspires young people to experiment and grow their confidence, critical thinking and design skills through hands-on learning.

Teams of students ages 6–10 focus on the fundamentals of engineering as they explore real-world problems, learn to design, code and create unique solutions made with LEGO^® bricks and powered by the LEGO^® Education SPIKE™ Essential kit.

The essentials

There are three essential parts to Explore each year: Core Values, the LEGO^® model and the team poster.

Explore the yearly themed Challenge at home or in the community, researching ways to solve a real-world problem.

Create and test a team model using the LEGO^® Education SPIKE™ Essential kit to show your ideas.

Share what you learned through a team model and a team poster.

Season timeline

Each year in early August, FIRST^® LEGO^® League releases a new challenge for teams that focuses on a scientific topic. Teams are sent on a journey of discovery to learn all they can about the topic, then present their findings in the form of a team poster and a LEGO^® model that moves.

Teams start their season in August and are invited to participate in a festival. The festival is the capstone to the FIRST^® LEGO^® League Explore experience. It is a time for teams to show off all the hard work they have done this season, connect with other teams, be inspired, be challenged and most of all be celebrated!

At the end of the season, FIRST LEGO League Explore teams come together for a non-competitive Festival—a joyful celebration of everything they’ve learned and accomplished. The Festival is the capstone of the Explore experience, giving young participants a chance to proudly share their team models, posters, and innovative ideas with reviewers, families, and fellow teams. It’s a day filled with inspiration, creativity, and connection, where students are encouraged to explore, ask questions, and cheer each other on. Most importantly, every child is celebrated for their curiosity, teamwork, and growth as young problem-solvers and future innovators.

Budget

Costs for starting a FIRST LEGO League Explore team will vary depending on the level of participation. FIRST^® and ASU never charge any “per student” fees; all costs for individual team members are assumed by the team as a group.

A new rookie team should expect to spend between $500 and $750 for their first season, since initial costs will include one-time costs in addition to annual purchases.
A veteran team should budget about $300 for annual purchases.

Funding Resources

• FIRST^® Fundraising Toolkit
• FIRST^® team grants
• Contact Arizona FIRST^® Senior Mentor and fundraising expert Susan Garduño at [email protected].
• Check the AZFLL Event Calendar to see when ASU is running its grant program, typically from July to August at the beginning of each season. ASU accepts applications in two waves: Round 1 is from mid-July until the season kickoff on the first Tuesday of August. Round 2 opens immediately following the kickoff and remains open until funds run out. Check the Event Calendar for details on ASU’s grant program for Arizona FLL teams.

One-time costs

• Robot Set: 
  • LEGO Education SPIKE™ Essential Set
    • $330 plus shipping and handling
    • Minimum of one set per team.
    • Can be ordered from your FIRST^® dashboard or directly from LEGO Education.
    • LEGO Education SPIKE™ app is free.

Annual costs

• Team Registration:
  • For the 2025/2026 season, the registration fee is $140 plus shipping and handling.
  • This fee is required and is paid directly to FIRST^® from your dashboard.
  • Includes the FLL Explore set plus printed/digital Team Meeting Guide (1) and student Engineering Notebooks (6)
• Event Registration Fees:
  • Arizona FLL Explore Festivals
    • Currently, ASU does not charge a fee for Festivals. Should ASU need to charge a fee, teams will be given several weeks’ notice.
  • Out-of-State Invitational Tournaments
    • Occasionally, Arizona FLL Explore teams are invited to participate in the lottery for the FIRST® World Championship in Houston, TX, or other invitational events. Your participation in these events is voluntary. You only need to budget for out-of-state events if you are invited and you choose to participate.
    • Registration fees are set by the organizers. Typically, registration fees for FLL Explore teams will be between $1000 and $1500.
    • The team is responsible for all travel expenses.

Other costs

• Laptop or tablet
• Supplies for tri-fold display
• Travel
• Meeting supplies
• Snacks

Getting started

The really cool thing about FIRST^® LEGO^® League is that all skill levels are welcome and needed, technical or non-technical.

There are two options for introducing students to the world of FLL Explore:

Individual Team: Many FLL teams begin with a small group of students, their families and friends, often meeting in a home basement or garage as a space to work, build and program their robots. Individual teams form via schools, youth organizations and community groups.

Class Packs: FIRST^® Class Packs provide implementation options for grades 2-4 classrooms and structured after-school programs. FIRST^® Class Pack resources prepare educators and facilitators to guide their students as they begin or continue a journey of STEM exploration using real-world scenarios and challenges. Immerse students in research, problem-solving, coding and engineering using a curriculum that will engage them in a range of rigorous and relevant learning opportunities. Students will develop an innovative solution to a real-world problem and design, build and code a LEGO® robot to solve themed challenge missions.

For more information about FIRST^® LEGO^® League in Arizona, contact [email protected].