Code Club Resources

Top tips for running a thriving Code Club

By volunteering your time to lead a Code Club, you’re empowering young creators to develop the skills they need to shape a future they’re excited about. To do this, you need to provide an environment where the young people feel comfortable exploring, experimenting, and learning through coding. 

Every Code Club runs differently and there is no set formula for what makes a great Code Club. Nevertheless, to offer some guidance, we’ve brought together ten tried-and-tested strategies used in Code Clubs around the world that support creators as they learn, play, and make.

An adult and boy facing a laptop smiling.
Volunteering at a Code Club

1. Start small and grow gradually

Begin with a small group of creators while you establish the club’s routines. This allows you to be more focused and helps you understand the group’s dynamics. As you gain confidence, gradually increase the number of members. You can also grow your mentor team to support even more creators.

2. Be prepared

Prepare for how you want your Code Club to run. This will look different for every club. For some of you, it will involve familiarising yourself with the projects and resources (including the software or hardware) that the group plans to use. Others will run their clubs with  looser frameworks and make project decisions on the day. 

3. Show, don’t just tell

If your creators all work on the same project, consider starting each session by showing a completed version (or versions) of the project and suggesting different adaptations that can be made. This gives young people a clear target and sparks their motivation to create their own unique projects.

4. Embrace experimentation

Don’t expect creators to follow the projects exactly. Learning happens through experimentation. Allow room for creativity and encourage creators to put their own personalities into their projects.

A classroom with girls sat a tables working on laptops.
Encourage experimentation and collaboration

5. Go digital

Save paper by using Code Club projects online. Creators will quickly adapt to navigating between browser tabs, and you’ll contribute to a more sustainable Code Club.

6. Encourage collaboration

Try paired programming — having creators work together on projects can boost concentration, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. This is particularly useful in settings where there might not be a computer available to each club member.

7. Foster problem-solving

Resist the urge to immediately fix creators’ mistakes. Keep your hands off the mouse and keyboard. Instead, gently point them in the right direction and let them discover and correct errors themselves. You can do this by asking creators questions and directing them to find the solution. This develops their critical thinking and resilience.

A girl working at a desktop computer with adults behind looking at her screen.
Foster problem-solving in your Code Club

8. Celebrate achievements

Plan show-and-tell sessions at the end of each session if time allows, or two to three times a year to offer a space for creators to showcase their projects and feel proud of their accomplishments.

9. Recognise success

Certificates can act as a great motivator. Explore and download our range of certificates and award them to creators when they hit milestones. 

10. Connect with your peers

Join an online ‘Coffee and conversation’ meet-up to interact with fellow club leaders and mentors. It’s a great space to share ideas, gain valuable insights, and ask questions. 

Looking for more inspiration on running your Code Club? Explore how you can create one club for all by working together to set your own rules! 

From coding to caring: Exploring well-being through micro:bits

Children’s Mental Health Week (5 to 11 February) is a crucial reminder of the importance of looking after the well-being of the young learners who come to Code Club.

A hand holding a micro:bit over a laptop keyboard.
Photo credit: David Bird

There are many ways that we can support mental health and well-being through technology. Our ‘Introduction to micro:bit’ projects are centred around well-being, and use various applications of technology to cover topics such as mental health, relaxation, and exercise.

Pete Bell, Learning Manager at the Raspberry Pi Foundation, tells us more about the projects in the path:

“This new path allows young people to connect with the world around them by making use of lights, sound, buttons, and sensors. By using these inputs and outputs, combined with block-based programming, young people can develop engaging digital tools that help them be considerate about their own well-being and that of others.”

As young people move through the path, they not only develop new skills, but also learn how to make their own tech tools that they can use to take care of themselves and their friends.

Tracking sleep to promote well-being

A great example is sleep! We all know that a good night’s sleep helps our brains to work better, helps us feel happier, and keeps our bodies healthier. We’ve created a ‘Sleep tracker’ project where young people build a tracker to record the amount of sleep they get with a micro:bit.

Promoting empathy and collaboration

The projects in our micro:bit pathway shows how technology can be used to improve lives. The collaborative nature of Code Club allows learners to engage in discussions, share perspectives, and develop an understanding of one another’s challenges and triumphs. Doing this together makes them understand and care about each other’s feelings, not just in the digital world but in real life too.

Our design project ‘How’s your day?’ is a great example of how young people can use their micro:bit to build a program that checks what kind of day you or your friends are having.

Growing coders’ sense of purpose and agency

Our micro:bit pathway also encourages club members to engage in computing projects that address real-world problems affecting their lives and communities. By empowering them to tackle issues that matter to them, we’re instilling a sense of purpose and agency. This doesn’t just make them more confident at coding but also helps them see the connection between technology and positive social impact.

Young Code Club project tester, James, shares more about our ‘Music Player‘ project and how it has made music that brings him happiness!

Encouraging discussions

Finally, it’s important to provide a safe space for young people to discuss how they deal with things both at home and at school. Coding activities like these projects give you a natural opportunity to start discussions on well-being, where learners can share their strategies for dealing with things and learn how their peers deal with things too. This open dialogue will help them understand that it is OK to react differently to different situations and also give them the tools they need to manage their well-being. 

Support and resources available

If you’re looking to get started with our micro:bit path there is lots of support available to you:

  • Explore the Introduction to micro:bit path.
  • Need help? Our Getting started with micro:bit guide has information and tips to help you use the micro:bit projects in your club.
  • Look out for our micro:bit workshops on the Code Club events page
  • Acknowledge coding wins with our bespoke progress chart
  • Celebrate learners’ success with our micro:bit path certificate
Download our micro:bit progress chart

The progress chart and certificate are available from our resource page under ‘Progress charts’ and ‘Core Code Club certificates’. Login and download!

So why not explore the micro:bit path, encourage conversation around well-being in your Code Club, and learn together this Children’s Mental Week and beyond.

Five HTML and CSS projects for your Code Club to try!

Get ready to dive into the basics of HTML and CSS with your Code Club! The Code Club team and friends share their favourite web design projects and why you should give them a go in your club. We have the perfect project that will make learning HTML easy and fun for everyone — from beginners to experienced coders.

Dive into the basics of HTML and CSS

What is HTML and CSS? 

Let’s start with the basics! HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is used to structure webpages, and it provides the framework for content e.g. text, images, and videos. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), on the other hand, sets the style and appearance of the content e.g., fonts, colours, sizes, and positioning. Together they create the visual appearance of a webpage. They are not programming languages, but using them effectively requires many of the same skills.

Why introduce web design into my Code Club?

Text-based languages like HTML and CSS are easy to learn and trouble-shoot. They provide the opportunity for creators to learn how they can code creatively to address real-world challenges or subjects that interest them. Alongside this, learners develop their problem-solving and logical thinking skills: all vital attributes to become a confident coder! 

Introduce web design into your Code Club

By exploring these languages in your Code Club, young learners get first-hand experience of real skills used in industry and an insight into future career paths.  

Try these HTML/CSS resources in your club (they’re our favourites!)

Express yourself!

Code Club provides a safe learning environment where creators can use digital technologies to express themselves in their own way. In our Mood board project, learners make design choices based on their interests.

“Code Club members who have learning disabilities have enjoyed working on this project as it enables them to communicate their moods and emotions, which they can sometimes find hard to verbalise.”

Darren Bayliss, Community Coordinator

Coding as a creative outlet 

Creativity and CSS go hand-in-hand and this sunrise animation project is a great way to light up any Code Club session! 

“The first time I tried this project, I was so excited to discover that CSS could be used to create animations! It’s a really fun project with lots of opportunities to add your own creative flair.”

Kat Leadbetter, Global Partnerships Manager

Sunrise animation project

Create your own meme! 

Bring the fun into your Code Club with our cat meme generator! This is a great little project for learners to explore CSS styles. 

“What could be more fun than a cat meme? There are great step-by-step instructions that make the whole project simple, easy to follow, and great fun. Your cat could be the star of your very own memes!”

Helen Gardner, Coolest Projects Programme Manager

insert hilarious caption..HAHAHA so funny.
Cat meme generator

Shiver Me Timbers – you can speak pirate too! 

Who doesn’t want to talk like a pirate! Your Code Club hearties will be introduced to HTML and Jquery to create live updates on a webpage in this simple Talk like a pirate project.

“When I first learned to control a webpage through code, I remember it feeling like a superpower. This project teaches learners how to do that whilst also having the fun of pirate speech!”

Mac Bowley, Learning Manager

Make me laugh!

If your Code Club always has a story or a joke to share, encourage your members to learn the HTML basics and create a club webpage with their favourite tales!

“Such a simple project, but so powerful as learners use it to express themselves and share their interests (or just a great joke). A great project when you have mixed abilities as there is so much personalisation and tinkering — everyone can approach it at their own level.”

Tamasin Greenough Graham, Head of Club Development and Operations

An illustration of a book with a robot on the front cover.
Create a club webpage

Explore our free project paths

You can find all the Code Club projects on our website, where creators are guided through new coding and design skills to make things that matter to them.

If you’re looking for other HTML resources to support learners with the basics of HTML and CSS, download our ‘Introduction to Web’ progress chart, which complements our ‘3…2…1…Make!’ Introduction to Web project path. As learners complete projects, they can collect stickers or colour the badges to mark their achievements.

You can access the progress maps on the Code Club website ready for creators to colour in the badges as they follow the ‘Introduction to web’ project path.

Looking for more inspiration to fuel your Code Club? Explore and discover the Scratch and Python projects that excite the Code Club team too!