This post was written by Jillian Mordarski, FIRST® LEGO® League Project Manager and Coach

FIRST LEGO League believes that celebration is part of the team experience for many reasons. Celebrating a child’s achievements is a terrific way to encourage their development and growth. When children feel supported by their peers, coaches, and family, it increases their self-esteem and builds their confidence.

A celebration can be as simple as acknowledging a job well done. Sometimes adults put too much pressure on themselves to create the “perfect experience” for their child. When adults take the time to listen and positively affirm what a child has accomplished, it can be the biggest win of all!

Here are 5 fun and simple ideas to celebrate your team’s accomplishments:

1. Share! We encourage teams to share what they’ve learned during the season. Inviting friends and family to join in and see what the children have been working on is a fantastic way to end the season. Encourage attendees to ask team members questions about what they learned and what their favorite part of the season was.

2. Jump (or dance) it out! Did you know that we have an official FIRST LEGO League Song, “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work”? Crank up the volume and have your team dance to one of our favorite songs!

3. Play! (And help pick up, of course) Are you ready to take your team’s model, robot, or Mission Models apart? Do you have access to extra LEGO®? Host a building or taking apart session and have team members and their families play with LEGO. You can even turn cleaning up into a game like “who can find the most blue LEGO elements?”.

4. Make it official! Print participation and event certificates for all of your team members, found on our Team Resources page here. You can write a note on each certificate with a shout-out to the team member or a special memory from the season.

5. Have fun with food! Celebrations and food go together. Host a pizza or dessert party, or make it a potluck and have everyone bring their own dish.

We’d love to hear about your team’s celebration! Share your ideas and season-end celebrations on social media and make sure to tag us (@firstlegoleague on Twitter and /FLLTeams on Facebook) so we can share your joyous moments with the community.