Where to start with Code Club projects

Starting a Code Club is exciting! There are hundreds of free projects to choose from, so where should you start?

The good news is that there isn’t one perfect first project. Every Code Club is different. The best project for your club depends on your young people, your setting, and what they enjoy creating.

To help you get started, we asked Code Club leaders from the community which projects they recommend for a first session — and why. Their advice shows there are lots of different ways to begin… and we noticed a few common themes.

Start with something that builds confidence

When we were speaking with the community, one thing came up again and again: choose a project that helps young people experience success quickly.

For Fiona from Peterborough CoderDojo in the UK, that project is Space talk, the first project from our Introduction to Scratch path.

“It introduces the basics of Scratch well and provides a useful framework for the first few sessions.”

What Fiona enjoys most is seeing how different young people connect with the same project.

“For some it’s the excitement of writing their first line of code. Others love choosing backgrounds and characters, while some enjoy adding sounds.”

Her biggest piece of advice:

“Don’t try to force a particular way through the project. Some young people will follow every step, while others will immediately start changing things. Let them take the project in the direction they want.”

Marc Grossman suggests beginning with Rock band, the first project in another Scratch path: Module 1.

For him, Rock band is the perfect introduction because it assumes no previous coding knowledge, is easy to follow, and quickly becomes creative.

“It’s noisy, fun, and exciting — and the projects that follow work really well in sequence.”

Give young people choices

Code Club encourages young people to make choices, explore their own ideas, and shape their own projects.

Tamasin Greenough Graham prefers to offer three different projects with different levels of challenge, allowing young people to choose what interests them.

“Giving them a choice means they’re more likely to enjoy the session and stay engaged.”

One project she recommends is Stress ball. It’s simple enough for beginners but can easily be extended — everyone can work at their own pace.

“Young people end up creating completely different versions of the same project while sharing ideas and solving problems together.”

She also suggests choosing projects that connect with what’s happening around your club.

Whether it’s the changing seasons, a school or community event, or something your young people have recently experienced, making projects feel relevant can help keep enthusiasm high.

Personalisation matters

While each club leader had their own favourite first project, many said the same thing: the best projects are easy to personalise.

Richard from the UK recommends CATS! because it quickly shows what young people already know, while giving them lots of opportunities to make the project their own.

“Create your own version first to show what’s possible — change the character or colours, or add another level.”

Darren Townsend and Caroline Magero both recommend starting with Ghostbusters.

Darren likes Ghostbusters, along with Boat race, because they’re simple to get started with but easy to adapt and extend. He encourages club leaders to help young people think beyond the instructions by asking questions like:

• Do the sprites have to be ghosts?
• Could the sprites be falling fruit instead?
• Does the game have to feature a boat?
• Could the boat race become a car race instead?

Caroline, who runs a Code Club in Kenya, also recommends Ghostbusters because it introduces learners to a wide range of Scratch blocks while giving them the freedom to explore their own ideas and creativity.

Her advice is simple:

“Celebrate every complete and incomplete project to build learners’ confidence and encourage creativity.”

Together, their advice highlights that the best starter projects aren’t just easy to follow — they’re easy for young people to make their own.

These small changes help young people see coding as something creative rather than something they have to copy exactly.

Creativity is more important than perfection

Several Code Club leaders told us that they encourage young people to experiment, rather than produce a perfect project.

James Obukui, from Kenya, recommends Lost in space because it introduces key coding concepts while leaving lots of room for imagination.

“Watching projects come to life excites learners. They enjoy adding more sprites, changing the code, and making the project their own.”

He also reminds leaders to create an inclusive environment where everyone has the opportunity to explore at their own pace.

Physical computing can be a great first experience

Not every Code Club starts with Scratch.

Japhet Kipkore from Kenya introduces new learners to physical computing by starting with Lighting the LEDs using a Raspberry Pi Pico.

He likes the project because learners can immediately see the results of their code while learning about electronics.

“Always start with simple demonstrations and let learners work in pairs or small groups. Give them opportunities to try things for themselves.”

A few themes we noticed

Although everyone had their own favourite project, there were some clear patterns!

Many Code Club leaders recommend projects that:

• Build confidence through quick successes
• Can be personalised and extended
• Give young people choices wherever possible
• Match learners’ interests instead of focusing on difficulty

Perhaps the biggest takeaway is that the project itself matters less than the experience it creates.

Still not sure where to begin?

If you’re still deciding, here are a few ideas.

If your creators are complete beginners… Space talk

Also recommended by Fiona from Peterborough CoderDojo, UK, Space talk is a gentle first step into Scratch, where creators build a space scene and bring alien characters to life by making them react with sounds and expressions when clicked. It’s a great intro because it only uses a couple of simple code blocks (Looks and Sound), while still letting learners get creative with the Paint editor to customise their characters. It’s perfect for anyone who’s never coded before.

If they love games… Neil the seal

This is a chaotic, fun, arcade-style game where creators code Neil the seal to waddle around town smashing signs, cars, and barriers for points, while a ranger tries to chase him back to the sea. It’s got real game mechanics: scoring, movement, and a chase opponent, making it a satisfying, silly game to build and play. And stay tuned — six new Games projects are coming soon!

If they enjoy art and design… Paint box

Creators build their own working paint program in Scratch, complete with a pencil, colour changer, and eraser. It’s a lovely blend of coding and creativity. They’ll learn how mouse input and drawing tools work under the hood, while ending up with a genuinely useful app they can doodle with afterwards.

If they like storytelling… This is our flatgame

This is a lovely hybrid of video games and poetry, where creators hand-draw or craft their own artwork (drawings, cut-outs, photos), then bring it into Scratch to create a game world they can explore by wandering around. It’s especially great for creative, non-linear storytellers, since there’s no ‘winning’ — just atmosphere and exploration. A nice change of pace from traditional coding projects.

If they want to make something physical… LED firefly

Using a Raspberry Pi Pico, creators wire up an LED and switch, then program the LED in MicroPython to blink in a pattern that mimics a real firefly. It’s a lovely first hardware project. Creators will learn the basics of microcontrollers, circuits, and physical computing, and end up with a little glowing creation they built with their own hands. 

There’s no perfect first project

Every Code Club is different. A project that works brilliantly in one club might not be the best fit for another.

The most important thing is choosing something that gets young people excited to create, explore, and come back next week.

As Fiona reminds us, don’t worry if everyone approaches a project differently. Some young people will carefully follow every step, while others will immediately start experimenting.

All will be learning in their own way.

Browse Code Club projects →