Thinking of joining an after school coding group? Starting a new chapter of Girls Who Code or Code Club at your school? Programming extracurriculars are a great way to build coding skills in a low stakes environment with people who share your interests. There are tons of different ways to engage with coding resources and build interesting projects together as a group. In this post, we’ll explore some high school coding club activities and projects that will bring your coding club to the next level.
Enjoy fun high school coding club activities and projects
Let’s break down seven great options for activities to do with your coding club. From taking classes together to hacking together, these options are all fun ways to bond over code and flex your coding muscles.
1. Try a new language as a group
If you’re starting a new group, chances are members will have a range of different skills and know a variety of languages. In this case, it may be fun to demo several languages, trying out options so everyone knows what’s out there. A great way to learn a new language is to take a free coding class.
It’s easy and (obviously) inexpensive, and lets people try something new. Take a few of our free coding classes, and experience a diversity of languages and programming styles. We’d recommend Scratch for newbies, Roblox or Minecraft for gamers, and Python for older students with some experience.
2. Code a project for social good
Meta’s Engineer for the Week program enables students to kickstart their coding or programming career. Meta provides everything students need to learn coding basics and then build games based on their newfound knowledge. At the end of the program, students build their own socially-conscious project which will get feedback from real software developers at Meta. Engineer for the Week would be a great activity to do as a coding group: you can learn together and beta test each other’s work. Explore Create & Learn's free Meta Engineer for the Week classes for live expert guidance throughout the process.
3. Make a game together
Not sure what to do for your first coding club meeting? Have all your members work on a project together! There are tons of great options for team projects: project the code up on screen and brainstorm together, or break into small groups and see all the different ways your members solve the same problem.
Pick a fun game or coding tutorial that students will relate to, and you’ll be coding together in no time. Here’s a cool Rock, Paper, Scissors Game that’s especially accessible for new-intermediate coders.
4. Take a class with your club
If your club is looking for a little more support, consider taking a high school coding course together! You can all sign up for the same session and participate either virtually or all in the same room. You’ll work on the same projects with teacher and peer guidance, and at the end, you’ll be more equipped to tackle the projects your team wants to tackle.
Classes depend on group interest. Check out Create & Learn’s live virtual options for Web Dev, Machine Learning, Python, and more.
5. Explore your hobbies in code
For more advanced clubs, a great way to move to the next level is to encourage members to build their own projects. Code is a great medium for exploring hobbies; while your members share an interest in programming, they bring a variety of other passions to the table that can be harnessed through code. Build games focused on sports, anime, or even cooking.
Here’s a cool, Pokemon-focused project that’s bound to be a hit with some of your members.
6. Host a student work showcase
A great way to engage your community and show off your club’s hard work is to hold a student showcase! Book your school or local library for a time where you can invite others to come and see your projects and in-progress work, and feature your member’s programming skills. It’s a great way to keep your club motivated and goal-oriented, and can be a lot of fun.
Keep an eye out for Create & Learn’s community showcases if you want to share your code online with students around the world.
7. Participate in a high school hackathon
Ready to show off your skills? A hackathon allows your club to compete against other clubs and solve a challenging problem. Hackathons are some of the best bonding activities for aspiring coders, and a great way to put your knowledge to the test. Some are sponsored by companies, and are thus a great way to network with other high school coding enthusiasts and industry professionals.
See if there are any high school hackathons in your area at this link.
Try these high school coding club activities and ideas
We hope some of these ideas help you guide your coding club in an exciting direction! Looking to get started with coding for teens, but not sure exactly where to begin? Join our accelerated Scratch class to conquer coding fundamentals while making awesome games with the help of a live expert.
Up next, discover some leadership activities for high school students.
Written by Sarah Rappaport, who graduated from Northwestern University with undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering and music. She's now working on a masters in data with Georgia Institute of Technology. She taught math and computer science with Teach for America for two years, and now works as a Systems Engineer.
