The mission of FIRST® is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.
Grades 9th to 12th
Combining the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. We call FIRST Robotics Competition the ultimate Sport for the Mind. High-school student participants call it “the hardest fun you’ll ever have.”
Grades 6th to 8th (Michigan only)
It’s way more than building robots. Teams are challenged to design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in a head-to-head challenge in an alliance format.
FIRST LEGO League introduces science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to children ages 4-16 through fun, exciting hands-on learning. Participants gain real-world problem-solving experiences through a guided, global robotics program, helping today’s students and teachers build a better future together.
Grades 4 and 5 (Michigan model)
Teams of students engage in research, problem-solving, coding and engineering – building and programming a LEGO robot that navigates the missions of a game. As part of Challenge, teams also participate in a research project to identify and solve a relevant real-world problem.
Grades K to 3 (Michigan model)
Teams of students focus on the fundamentals of engineering as they explore real-world problems, learn to design and code and create unique solutions made with LEGO bricks and powered by LEGO Education SPIKE.
Grades Pre-K (Michigan model)
This playful introductory STEM program ignites their natural curiosity and builds their habits of learning with hands-on activities in the classroom and at home using LEGO® Duplo bricks.
All descriptions of FIRST programs come directly from the FIRST website.