Code Club Resources

Hands-on computing: Explore our new Code Club unplugged projects

Not every Code Club session needs computers to support brilliant learning. Our new unplugged projects bring core computing concepts to life through games, puzzles, and hands-on activities that get creators moving, thinking, and collaborating — all without screens.

Why unplugged matters

We want to make computing concepts accessible to everyone. These unplugged activities support clubs working with limited devices and offer more flexible, hands-on session options.

This helps to build inclusivity and lower barriers for Code Clubs around the world, ensuring that every child has the chance to learn and create.

Built with (and tested by) the Code Club community

The success of these projects is a direct result of our community’s incredible support. The projects were tested in clubs all over the world, and mentors and creators shared valuable insights from real sessions that informed key improvements.

This collaboration helped ensure the resources are engaging, practical, and enjoyable. We’re deeply grateful to the community for playing such an important role in shaping these projects.

Two hands reaching for printed cards on a table showing different Scratch blocks

Four flexible formats to fit any session

There are four unplugged formats designed to flexibly support your sessions, making it easy to adapt activities to your time, space, and group.

Icebreakers (10–15 mins)

These icebreakers get creators moving and chatting in a relaxed way, without putting anyone on the spot. They’re perfect for new groups, setting a playful tone while building confidence and a sense of community from the start.

  • Flexible for individuals or teams
  • Builds sequencing, decomposition, and algorithmic thinking
  • Encourages creativity and problem-solving 

When tested, creators loved the friendly competition, the mystery of the hidden treasure, and the freedom to get imaginative with their clues.

“Our Creators absolutely loved creating their own secret sequences of clues. It was a brilliant mix of a fun treasure hunt and a clever little challenge!”  – Code Club mentor

Warm-up activities (15–20 mins)

These activities gently introduce core concepts, which creators then explore further in a linked digital activity later in the session.

Standalone games (30–60 mins)

The self-contained games are ideal for exploring core concepts in your Code Club. They include built-in discussion starters to help creators make connections and reflect together.

Escape rooms (as long as you need!)

Our escape room projects are a series of linked puzzles with an exciting narrative that can unfold over one full session or several sessions. Creators experience blended storytelling while using code-breaking and teamwork to reach a shared end goal. These can be completed in teams or individually.

Escape the jungle with The Jungle Awakens

The Jungle Awakens is an immersive escape-room experience set in the Lost Temple of the Emerald Heart. Creators tackle linked puzzles — including logic challenges, ciphers, and navigation tasks — to uncover the temple’s secrets.

  • Flexible for individuals, pairs, or small groups
  • Introduces key computing concepts, from algorithms to cryptography
  • Ideal for mixed-ability groups
  • Encourages teamwork and communication

“It’s a fantastic series of linked puzzles with an exciting narrative. The blended storytelling, code-breaking, and teamwork all work together perfectly, and by the end, our club felt like a well-oiled problem-solving machine!” – Code Club mentor

Three young boys collaborating on a paper-based activity.

Getting started with unplugged sessions

Unplugged sessions are flexible, low-prep and work well when devices are limited or you need to add some variety. They’re ideal for the start or end of term — or anytime you want to take learning off-screen.

Mix unplugged and digital by using unplugged activities as quick warm-ups to introduce core concepts like sequencing, then build on them in a linked digital activity. They also work well as extensions for early finishers or on device-free days.

Getting started is easy. No specialist equipment is needed, setup is minimal, and activities are designed for mixed-ability groups so every creator can take part and learn. 

Whether you’ve got five minutes or a full session, explore our unplugged projects and discover flexible, screen-free ways to build computing skills.

Everything in one place: Helping beginners code with confidence with the Code Editor

We’ve been introducing a new way for creators to work on Code Club projects — one that keeps everything in one place, with no switching between tabs.

We’re building our Code Editor into Code Club projects, starting with Python, with more projects on the way. This free, online tool lets young people open a project and start coding straight away in their web browser.

We’ve designed our editor for learning — it provides a friendly environment with helpful features like syntax highlighting and error checking, so learners can focus on understanding their code as they write and run Python.

Screenshot of a coding project interface titled 'Python wild - Hop the frog', showing instructions to draw a frog using code on the left and a visual output of a lily pad in water on the right, with a green background.

Instructions and code, side by side

With our Code Editor, creators can see the project instructions and code side by side, which means:

  • No switching between tabs
  • No printing instructions
  • No split screens
  • Shorter instructions
  • Easier for creators to debug their code 

“The built-in Code Editor is a big hit. Having the instructions, code, and output all on one page is incredibly helpful — creators can see everything at once.”  – Tom Lund, Bootham School Code Club

New: Try our latest Python projects in our Code Editor

If you’re curious about what this looks like in practice, try running one of our new Python Bytes or Python Wild projects, all designed to run entirely in our Code Editor. They’re a simple way to see how having everything in one place helps learners stay focused and progress through projects.

A focused young boy working on a laptop, surrounded by other computers, with digital icons representing technology and creativity above him.

Python Bytes uses three playful, food-themed projects to make text editing approachable. Creators invent over-the-top dishes in Disgusting dishes, write a humorous shopping list in Gross groceries, and then subtly sabotage instructions in Recipe wreckers.

Python Wild brings a selection of wildlife to the screen while introducing graphics with Python. Creators draw an insect in Dot the bug, animate a slithering character in Wiggle the snake, and finish with a bouncy amphibian in Hop the frog.

“As we wrote these projects for the Code Editor, our aim was simple: remove the friction that can slow beginners down. When everything’s in one place, creators can try ideas quickly, recover from mistakes, and make progress with far more confidence.” – Marc Scott, Learning Team

What about saving creators’ work?

Creators can save their work to their Raspberry Pi Foundation account as they progress. Young people under the age of 13 will need permission from a parent or guardian to set up a Raspberry Pi Foundation account — we have a printable parental permission letter that you can share to make this easier.

What’s next for our Code Editor 

There’s more to come! We’re updating some of your long-time favourite projects for the new editor, alongside plenty of brand-new activities for creators to explore. Watch this space! 

Open and code instantly with our Code Editor: explore our Python Bytes and Python Wild beginner projects with your Code Club.

Game on! Bring sport into your Code Club

Sports have a way of bringing people together — whether you’re cheering from the sidelines, playing with friends, or sharing stories about your favourite team. That same sense of excitement and teamwork can make coding feel even more engaging for young learners. That’s why our learning team have created four new Scratch projects inspired by sports from around the world.

In these projects creators can enjoy cricket, kabaddi, and South Africa’s traditional game of jukskei, or design custom kits for any sport. The projects invite young coders to explore global games while building their programming skills. Each activity blends creativity, culture, and fun, giving learners the chance to code and play in meaningful new ways.

So, get ready to bring some sporting energy into your Code Club. Game on!

Exploring the new projects

Project one: Cricket

In this cricket game, you’ll programme the bowler to send the ball towards a randomly chosen stump, shrinking it as it travels to create a sense of depth and realism. The game will call out where the ball is heading, giving players just enough time to move their bat and try to score runs.

What creators will learn

Creators will use broadcast messages to coordinate bowling, batting, scoring, and wickets. They’ll animate the ball’s movement with loops, conditionally update variables to track balls, wickets, and scores, and trigger different outcomes depending on whether the bat connects. Complete the extra challenge to make the bails leap from the stumps for a dramatic wicket!

An illustration for a cricket-themed project featuring a young girl with curly hair smiling and pointing, and a male player in cricket attire holding a bat. The background includes colorful elements associated with the sport.

Project two: Kabaddi

Create a fast-paced tag game inspired by kabaddi that originated in India, where you must cross the line, tag opponents, and make it back safely, all while keeping your breathing going by tapping the space bar! Complete the extra challenge to make the opponents behave more unpredictably for even more excitement.

What creators will learn 

Players will animate movement using arrow keys, track lives and tags with variables, and use broadcast messages to coordinate opponents, wins, and losses. Opponents are created as clones and creators use loops and conditional logic to detect contact, manage the kabaddi countdown timer, and trigger different outcomes depending on whether the player tags an opponent, runs out of time, or gets surrounded. 

Illustration of children playing kabaddi, featuring characters in vibrant sports attire, engaged in a dynamic running and tagging scene. The background is a cheerful pink with elements indicating playful competition.

Project three: Jukskei

Jukskei is a traditional South African throwing game where players try to knock over a wooden peg by throwing wooden pins (skeis) at it. It takes skill, aim, and timing.

What creators will learn

Creators will build animations triggered by broadcast messages and controlled with key presses. They’ll use condition-controlled loops to program sprite movement and sound effects, and update variables when conditions are met to keep track of player scores.

Illustration of a smiling person holding a wooden pin for jukskei, with targets in the background.

Project four: Kit chooser

Many young people love showing support for their favourite teams, and designing custom kits gives them a fun, creative way to express that passion through code.

What creators will learn

Using Scratch, young people will create their own kit chooser where they can design custom sports kits, change colours with their own creative flair, and even add a toggle button to switch between styles.

A graphic showcasing a sports kit designer with two purple jerseys displayed, one highlighted with an arrow pointing towards its back. A color palette on the right offers various options for customization.

Three top tips for mentors

1. Bring cultural connections into the session
Ask creators if they’ve played or watched the featured sports, or if these games are popular in their communities. If they’ve not heard of some of these sports, why not show them some videos?

2. Celebrate different ways to play and participate
Many creators will relate to these sports in different ways: some may play them, others may follow teams, and some might enjoy the social or creative parts. Encourage them to personalise their game with their own rules, team colours, or sounds to reflect the way they engage with sport.

3. Support experimentation and iteration
Remind creators that sports and coding both reward practice. If something doesn’t work the first time (a ball overshoots, an opponent behaves oddly, or a variable doesn’t update), that’s part of the process. Guide them to debug step-by-step and celebrate each improvement as a skill gained.

Ready, set, code! Try these sport-themed projects in your Code Club and bring a burst of energy, culture, and creativity to your next session.