Stage 01 of 04 · Explorer
Robotics League: VEX IQ / FLL
Season-long competition, real matches.
- Ages
- 9 – 13
- Duration
- ~14 weeks (season)
- Prereq
- C1 Robot Friends helps.
What students learn
Season-long competition robotics. Students design, build, and drive a tournament robot — learning to iterate under real deadlines and against real opponents.
What “iterate” actually feels like. Pre-event nerves and post-event lessons. The difference between “robot works in the garage” and “robot works under match pressure.” Plus the engineering notebook habit judges look for.
Module-by-module
Game reveal
Read the manual; score the field. Strategy memo.
Robot v1
A robot that does ONE scoring thing well. Playable v1 by week 4.
Driver practice
Iterate on the build. Consistent v1 scoring.
Autonomous
A routine that scores without a driver.
Scrimmage
First competition, learn what breaks. Fix list.
Iterate v2
Solve the fix list, add a second scoring path.
Engineering notebook
Document everything. Judges-ready notebook.
Regional event
Compete. Matches played, lessons.
What they make
A VEX IQ or FIRST LEGO League competition robot plus the engineering notebook judges look for.
Walk away with
Iteration discipline. Real competition experience. The mental difference between practice and pressure.
Free resources we recommend
VEX Education STEM Labs (IQ)
Curriculum and competition framework from the same org.
Structured STEM Labs + competition prep
FIRST LEGO League
Free seasonal materials (notebook, core values, missions).
Season materials + season missions
VEXcode VR (free simulator)
Practice strategy and autonomous in the browser before kit time.
Browser simulator
Honorable mentions
- CMU Robotics Academy IQ curriculumUniversity-grade IQ curriculum.
- LEGO Education FLL ExploreFor the younger end (ages 6–10) before IQ-class machines.
Next step
C12 Competition Robotics: VEX V5 / FRC / FTC.