The benefits, challenges and lessons learned from bringing FIRST LEGO League into the primary classroom.
With the launch of the new FIRST LEGO League (FLL) season at Dublin City University today, schools across Ireland are preparing for another year of creativity, problem-solving and innovation. Having experienced FLL in my own classroom, I wanted to share some reflections on what makes the programme worthwhile, the challenges involved and a few practical tips for teachers considering getting involved. While robotics and coding are often the first things we associate with FLL, for me, the real value extends far beyond the technology.
The Benefits: More Than Just Robotics
1. Developing Lifelong Skills for a Digital World
One of the greatest benefits of FLL is the opportunity it provides for pupils to develop skills that will serve them throughout their lives.
Problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication are all central to the experience. These are skills we regularly discuss when considering how best to prepare children for an increasingly digital and rapidly changing world.
What makes FLL particularly valuable is that these skills are not taught in isolation. Pupils develop them naturally as they work towards a shared goal. They listen to different perspectives, negotiate decisions, overcome setbacks and communicate their ideas.
These experiences help prepare pupils for challenges they will encounter well beyond the classroom.
2. Authentic STEM Learning: Moving Beyond Instructions
For me, one of the most valuable aspects of FLL is how it moves STEM learning beyond simply following instructions. While step-by-step activities have their place in introducing new concepts, FLL challenges pupils to apply their learning in an open-ended environment. There isn’t always a clear pathway to success or a set of instructions to follow.
Pupils must design, build, test, debug and refine their solutions. They tinker, experiment, develop prototypes and constantly look for improvements. When something doesn’t work, the learning doesn’t stop. Instead, pupils investigate why, rethink their approach and try again.This iterative process reflects how engineers, scientists and designers work in the real world. Importantly, it helps pupils recognise that getting something wrong is often an essential part of learning.
3. Connecting Learning to Real-World Challenges
Another significant benefit is the opportunity to connect classroom learning to real-world problems. Through the innovation project, pupils investigate authentic challenges, conduct research and develop potential solutions. This gives learning a purpose. Rather than learning subjects in isolation, pupils see how knowledge and skills from different curricular areas can be combined to address meaningful problems. It encourages curiosity about the world around them and provides opportunities for pupils to consider how their own ideas could make a difference.
4. More Than Just Coding
Although robotics and programming are the most visible elements of FLL, the experience involves so much more. Pupils research problems, devise creative solutions, justify their decisions and communicate their thinking to others. Presentation skills become particularly important as teams explain their ideas, demonstrate their work and respond to questions. Not every pupil will naturally gravitate towards coding or engineering. Others may excel at researching, designing, organising or presenting. FLL provides opportunities for these different strengths to contribute to a shared achievement, reinforcing the idea that successful innovation requires much more than technical knowledge.
The Challenges: A Realistic Classroom Perspective
While I am a strong advocate for FLL, I also think it is important to be realistic about the challenges involved.
1. Finding Time Within an Already Busy Curriculum
One of the biggest challenges is undoubtedly the time commitment. Between building, coding, researching, testing and preparing for competition day, the hours quickly add up. However, I found that the key to making it manageable was to stop viewing FLL as an additional activity and instead consider how it could support learning across the curriculum. The redeveloped Primary School Specifications provides significant opportunities for this type of integrated learning. Within Science, Technology and Engineering (STE), pupils engage in scientific inquiry, technological problem-solving and engineering design through investigating challenges, developing prototypes and refining solutions.
English plays an important role through discussing ideas, communicating findings and preparing presentations. There are also connections to Wellbeing, particularly through media literacy, evaluating information and creating digital presentations.
Social and Environmental Education (SEE) provides further opportunities. Last year’s archaeology theme connected naturally with History, while this year’s biodiversity theme offers rich opportunities for Geography.
Beyond individual curriculum areas, FLL supports many of the seven key competencies in the Primary Curriculum Framework, including being a digital learner, being creative, being an active learner, and being a communicator and using language. By planning carefully and allocating time across relevant curricular areas, I found the project became much more manageable.
The time commitment is substantial, but the depth of learning and skills developed make that investment worthwhile.
2. Recognising That FLL Isn’t for Everyone
One thing I learned is that not every child will be enthusiastic about robotics or FLL, and that’s perfectly fine. In a large primary school class, pupils have diverse needs, abilities and interests. While many children were completely absorbed in the robotics challenges, others simply didn’t share that enthusiasm. Rather than expecting everyone to participate in the same project throughout the year, I introduced special interest projects alongside FLL.
Some pupils created a school podcast, while others recreated our local community in Minecraft. Many continued working on FLL, designing, coding and improving their robots. This gave pupils greater ownership of their learning while making FLL more manageable through smaller groups of motivated children.
It reinforced an important lesson for me: meaningful learning doesn’t have to look the same for every child.
3. The Financial and Resource Commitment
Another challenge is the investment required to participate. Robotics equipment, competition resources and travelling to events can place considerable financial demands on schools. In our case, the support of University College Dublin (UCD), alongside fundraising efforts, played an important role in making our participation possible. Without this support, getting involved would have been considerably more difficult.
For schools considering FLL, exploring partnerships, fundraising opportunities and external support can make a significant difference.
Tips and Tricks: Getting Started with FIRST LEGO League
For teachers considering getting involved, here are four pieces of advice based on my experience.
1. Start Early and Spread the Workload
My first piece of advice would be to start as early as possible. FLL is a substantial project, and trying to squeeze everything into a few weeks can quickly become overwhelming. Spreading the work across the school year allows pupils time to explore equipment, develop coding skills, investigate challenges and experiment with solutions. It also provides space for the inevitable setbacks and redesigns that are such an important part of learning. Starting early reduces the pressure and allows everyone to enjoy the experience rather than constantly working towards a deadline.
2. Be Realistic About the Time Commitment
Before committing to FLL, take a realistic look at your school year. What other projects are you involved in? What curricular demands need to be considered? How much time can you realistically dedicate to the programme? FLL offers fantastic learning opportunities, but there is little point in taking on a project that creates unnecessary stress. Ultimately, FLL should be an enjoyable and rewarding experience for both you and your pupils. The learning is important, but so is enjoying the journey.
3. Give Everyone a Taste of FLL, Then Provide Choice
I believe every pupil should have the opportunity to experience FLL before deciding whether it is something they would like to pursue. Let children explore the robotics, experiment with coding and experience the different elements of the programme. However, recognise that not every child will develop the same enthusiasm. Introducing special interest projects alongside FLL worked particularly well in my classroom. Pupils remained engaged in meaningful activities while those with a genuine interest in robotics could dedicate more time to the competition. The important thing is providing the initial opportunity and then allowing pupils some ownership over their learning.
4. Reach Out and Make Connections
Don’t feel that you have to do everything yourself. Local Education Support Centres, universities and businesses can be fantastic sources of support, whether through equipment, technical advice, funding or training. For example, Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) are supporting local schools to participate in FLL, providing resources and training to help teachers and pupils get involved.
Our own experience was greatly helped by UCD, and I would also like to acknowledge Gerry from Creative Hut, who was extremely helpful and a pleasure to deal with. It is also worth exploring the financial support available through FLL Ireland. With support from Research Ireland, eligible schools and groups can apply for funding packages to help them participate. Applications are assessed individually, with details available on the FLL Ireland Funding Packages page.
Building these connections can make a real difference, particularly for schools taking part for the first time. Don’t be afraid to ask for support. You might be surprised by how willing people are to help.
Looking Ahead: First Impressions of Future Edition
With the introduction of FIRST LEGO League Future Edition, I have had the opportunity to explore the new LEGO Education Computer Science & AI kits. Let’s be honest, the requirement for two kits per team in the Ages 8–16 Future Edition is a significant stumbling block. For schools already facing financial pressures, particularly those that have invested in SPIKE equipment, this represents a substantial additional investment.
However, once you get past that initial barrier and begin working with the new kits, they are genuinely impressive. The hardware offers exciting possibilities for building, coding, experimenting and developing creative solutions. These are still my early impressions, but I am looking forward to exploring what the new Future Edition experience has to offer. While the financial commitment remains a concern, there is certainly plenty to be excited about in this next chapter of LEGO robotics in education.