What is one of the most effective ways to learn? The answer is simple: through problem solving. And just like solving puzzles, programming is a great way of exercising the brain which in turn enhances short term memory, increases concentration, and stimulates the mood. Today, we've gathered some challenging and fun high school coding projects to help teens strengthen their logical reasoning skills, increase creativity, and overall improve academic performance.
The Best High School Programming Project Ideas
Get ready to make something great with some of the best high school programming project ideas, from creating a Chatbot to preparing for Data Analysis. We’ve got you covered with tons of coding for teens ideas.
1. Make a Chatbot with AI on Scratch
Alexa, Bixby, and Siri work overtime to improve human interaction with technology. They are best known for their built-in Artificial Intelligence or AI – a merging branch in computer science that mimics human behavior. To give you a glimpse at how AI is programmed, check out this Scratch tutorial on making your own Alexa-like AI chatbot. You'll find out how code enables a character in virtual environment to interact and chat with humans.
2. Build a Trivia Game with No Code
Explore a visual web editor and learn how to make a Trivia web app without writing code. In this short but powerful tutorial, you will learn how to make your own software application using Bubble.Your Trivia Web App will have a database for questions, category, and answers. You will also learn about workflows, triggers, data fields, and other concepts that Bubble uses to add functionality to your page.
3. Create a Web App with Django Frameworks
Ever wondered how posts, blogs, comments, or live-data updates work on a web page? If so, the Django Girls Tutorial is your one stop-shop to soak up all that knowledge and more. In this easy-to-follow tutorial, Django Girls break down the ins and outs of all the pieces that make up a fully functional web app. As you build your first social media-like web app, you will learn about everything from Web Frameworks to QuerySets.
4. Program a Game with Unity
Unity is one of the most popular game engines. So find out how to make a 3D Domino game in minutes and learn how to create and manipulate objects in this Unity game tutorial. This project does not require text-based code – everything is point-and-click! The best part is, you will learn how to create objects from scratch for your games and adjust their properties to your likings as you familiarize yourself with gaming components that enables you to make your game look and feel different from others.
5. Make an Online Game with GameSalad
Visual programming is the future, and if you’d like to put your creativity to use while you transition from a game player to a game maker, look no further than this super simplified tutorial from GameSalad. In this 9-step video tutorial, you will learn how to develop an interactive game app call Plane Pong. With or without knowing a programming language, this tutorial teaches you how to create and program your own actors in the game. As you follow along, you will polish up your critical-thinking skills as you drag-and-drop components to piece together the logic for the game.
6. Create a Video Posting App
Learn about mobile app development as you learn how to make a dynamic Video Posting App. Follow the steps in this Thunkable tutorial for a video posting app and discover how video files are uploaded and viewed on a mobile device. As you follow along this tutorial, you will learn about API’s, third party cloud services, and databases. For a more basic intro first, check out this Thunkable tutorial.
7. Make Apps Work Together
When you learn how one application communicate with another, you learn about system integration – a fundamental concept in Computer Science. In this tutorial, you will learn about IFTTT and applets. Without writing a single line of code, you will also learn how to make two separate applications “talk” to one another. Additionally, you will learn about IF/THEN conditional statements and why they are important to a decision-making process in system integration engineering.
8. Learn CS Concepts with Python
Learn coding with Python and prepare for a high-demand career in fields like software engineering or data science. Python is a programming language that is growing in popularity due to its simplicity and proficiency. This W3Schools tutorial is a great way to learn Python in a short period of time. Additionally, you will learn some of the most important concepts in computer science like variables, data types, if/else conditional statements, loops, and more. There's also a free live online, expert-led Python class you can join, to get expert guidance as you conquer this real-world programming language.
9. Build an Android App with Kotlin
In this 8-step tutorial, you will learn how to download, install, and operate a powerful mobile app tool: Android Studio. You will also learn how to navigate around an Intergraded Development Environment or IDE and explore more advanced coding techniques. You will also learn about Extensible Markup Language or XML and use tags to define objects and the data within each object.
10. Dive into Data Analysis With SQL
Data Analysis is best learned with the practice of SQL. Without having to download and install any software for this exercise, you can polish up your SQL skills by following this interactive online tutorial. At first, you can practice the basics of SQL, including SELECT statements and logical operators. Then, the tutorial walks you through more advanced SQL syntax such as aggregated functions (count, sum, etc.) and relational concepts (joins, unions, etc.).
Try Fun High School Coding Projects
With these high school programming project ideas, teens have the opportunity to learn new CS topics, get inspired through technology, and enjoy a head start in their future career. Looking to enroll in a coding class? Check out our Mobile App classes where teens can excel with the leadership of passionate and experienced teachers. Up next, explore high school coding club activities.
Written by Sandra Dizdarevic, a Create & Learn instructor with 6 years of experience teaching STEM to children in the 3rd through 11th grade. She has an Undergraduate as well as a Masters Degree in Management Information Systems from UNO.
