Welcome to Code Club: Mentors share their support and advice

Starting a new Code Club is an exciting adventure! As more clubs open around the world, we’ve gathered some helpful advice from experienced mentors to help you start confidently and run a club your creators will love.

Embrace the uniqueness 

I tell my new leaders to embrace the chaos! It’s a sign of creative and active learning taking place. A Code Club can be a noisy place, but this usually means that young people are talking about their projects, problem solving, asking questions, playing each other’s games, and connecting with others.

Also, embrace the creativity and different experiences that young people bring to your club. This will come out through their projects. Everyone may start on the same task, but in the end, you have many different projects. This is something to celebrate and share within the group, so allowing time in your program at the end of each session to share is vital. It might be a ‘gallery walk’ where everyone walks around the room and can stop at any project that interests them, or you might choose 2 or 3 to show the whole group.

– Kaye, Code Club Australia

Keep it simple and start small 

Keep it simple — start with a small group of creators to gain experience and build confidence together. As everyone progresses, gradually increase the number of club members. Don’t feel pressured to be an immediate expert; view this as a learning process for both you and the creators, and embrace that journey, and always have fun along the way.

– Darren, Code Club mentor, Ireland

Logins can come later

Don’t worry too much about logins (apart from for the actual devices). Creators can get started straight away with coding without logging in. Logins to Scratch and/or the projects site can come later on or as and when they are ready to start saving their work.

– Dips, Code Club mentor, Nottingham, England

Show what they’ll learn

Start with a strong and exciting introduction session. Show a simple but impressive project to spark curiosity — let the creators see what they can create.

Emphasise that they’ll learn more than just coding. They’ll build: logical thinking, problem-solving skills, and bug detection. These skills are not just for coding — they’ll help in maths, science, other subjects, and even in real-life decision-making.

Remind them: Coding is not just about computers. It’s about learning how to think.

– Manoj Bidkar, Code Club mentor, India

Try the projects out!

If you’re just beginning and haven’t got much confidence yet, following one of the guided paths is a good way to start. If I was starting out now, I’d do all the Scratch activities in the Introduction to Scratch path on my own first — and then support the children to do those. You can be more flexible once you’ve got some experience, and then it can depend on the size of the group and your own experience.

– Anne Carill, Code Club mentor, York, England

Focus on having fun

Make sure to create a chill vibe where everyone feels comfortable asking questions. Don’t stress if things don’t go as planned — just roll with it and adjust. Pairing students up can be super helpful, and don’t forget to celebrate those small wins. Keep the focus on having fun and learning, and you’ll be golden. Good luck, and enjoy the ride!

– Vipul Rathod, Code Club mentor, India

We hope these tips help you on your Code Club journey! And don’t forget to explore our resources for even more support!