The most crucial aspect of creating a team is good communication between you and the families/students.

1. Discuss your expectations ahead of time. Where will they meet? How often will they meet? Will there be homework assigned? Will there be extra hours later in the season? Will everyone get to run the robot and/or how will this be decided? How many meetings can a student miss? What happens if a student is disruptive or not collaborating? How will costs be shared? Who keeps the trophy (only one is given per team) and who keeps all the equipment (robot, challenge mat) at the end of a season? These topics are common sources of friction on a team and best addressed early.

2. Be clear that FIRST LEGO League is not an after-school LEGO-building club. Many parents sign up their child because the child “loves LEGO.” Clarify that there are 4 parts to the program: Core Values, Innovation Project, Robot Design and Robot Game. Be clear that they will be expected to participate in all aspects of the program.

3. Discuss what they get out of the program beyond just awards. Students will be working hard and learning building, programming, communication, teamwork, research, and life skills. Setting up program goals beyond awards is helpful in developing a growth mindset and celebrating all types of successes.

4. Be clear that Kids Do The Work! Parents who are new to the program often do not understand this and want to be “helpful” to the team. Channel their enthusiasm to help the team in other ways - providing snacks, supervising during a field trip, providing lunch during the tournament, etc.