Agree to Disagree: Running Last Season's FLL Kit

Our position

For a team that will compete at a tournament, always use the current-season kit. Tournaments score only the current season's rules, missions, and research project.

For a classroom or club that is not competing, last year's Challenge set is a perfectly fine teaching set - the mission models are still LEGO, the mat is still real, and the engineering challenges are still valid. Just be clear-eyed that you are running a practice season, not an event-eligible season.

Other voices

Reputable sources worth reading before you decide. Labels reflect our honest read of each source's general stance, not direct quotes.

FIRST Challenge season-specific rules

Broadly agrees

FIRST's Challenge rules are tied to the current season theme and mission set. Tournaments check for the current-season kit components.

Why trust it: Program rules.

Second-year teams that bought a prior season mid-year

Nuanced / mixed

A team that discovered FLL in April can reasonably practice on a prior season kit through the summer, then order the new-season kit in August. That is a valid on-ramp.

Why trust it: Real on-ramp pattern.

Classroom-only clubs

Pushes back

Non-competing classroom clubs genuinely can run a prior season forever. No one is going to tell you the missions are out of date.

Why trust it: Real classroom reality. The current-season rule applies to competition, not to teaching.

A note on honesty: We have no affiliate arrangement with any brand or publication linked here. Labels reflect our honest read of each source's general stance as of this writing; they are not quotes. Click through and form your own view.

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