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There are so many things to wrap your mind around when you’re just starting out programming. If you’re not mastering PHP, you’re learning Python. If it’s not a programming language, it’s a new web framework.
You’ve got to start somewhere. When there’s so much to learn, where should you begin? The best way to sharpen your programming skills is by applying your knowledge to one of many simple programming projects.
Whether you’re a beginner or you’re getting back into coding after some time away, here are the best programming project ideas to build your confidence and to make you a better developer.
Beginner Programming Projects
If you’re an absolute beginner, you’ll want to know the basics of two Web markup languages: HTML and CSS. Understanding the basics of HTML code is the first thing you need to know about creating web apps.
If you’re comfortable with the basics, you can venture out and try one of many coding projects for beginners that focus on HTML. The best simple coding projects end up being crash courses in coding themselves. They push the boundaries of what you already know and give you a practical exercise in whichever language you choose.
These coding ideas are simple, even if they’re not easy at first. You will walk away from these cool code projects with two things: a portfolio piece that you can use to prove your ability as a programmer, and a more thorough understanding of the craft.
Some of these programming projects will use different languages like Java or JavaScript, but you can use any language you feel comfortable in. Let’s dive in; here’s our list of the 10 best beginner projects for new programmers.
1. Make Your Own Chess Game
Building a chess game is a great way to take a classic game you may already know and turn it into a programming project. Chess makes for a fantastic starter piece—pun absolutely intended—if you would like to build the foundation for a career in tech.
You’ll start by mapping out your board and your pieces. Then, you’ll assign specific movements to each type of piece on the board. You’ll be forced to think of chess from a developer’s perspective, trying to turn concepts into algorithms that a computer would be able to understand.
Check out this video to begin learning how to create your very own chess program in Java (and how to modify it to create your own version). It isn’t exactly a step-by-step tutorial, but it offers great insight into how programmers think when building complex coding projects.
2. Code a Mobile App
The best coding projects for beginners emphasize the importance of being able to create interfaces that are mobile-device friendly. You don’t need anything other than HTML and CSS to create beautiful layouts that can be worked into an Android or iOS app. Basic coding projects like this teach you how to create an interface, not just coding logic.
This tutorial shows you how easy it is to make a layout by creating a simple product card. This is a great way to practice your design skills. You don’t have to copy the code line-by-line; try giving it your own flavor and make it look the way you want.
3. Build Your Own Calculator
Building your own calculator is one of the best software engineering projects for beginners. Creating a calculator gives you practice writing a layout, using logic that reads numbers or symbols from the layout, and using logic that processes the information to get a result.
Small coding projects like these are simple enough for a beginner and challenging enough to make you think twice. JavaScript is a great language to pair with HTML and CSS to build this app.
4. Create a To-Do List App
Building a to-do list app is another of our favorite fun programming projects to test out your skills. It involves most of what you need to create a simple UI: buttons, animation, user interaction, and events.
This video will walk you through the app using the big three—HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. You can upload the final result to a portfolio if you want to show it off. Try putting your own spin on it to challenge yourself.
Simple weight conversion tools are another example of easy coding projects for beginners. Much like the to-do list app, beginner coding projects like this will challenge you to create a layout and perform some logic that responds to the information input into the form.
As you’re building projects, you should customize them how you like. Getting creative with these easy coding projects helps you discover your identity as a developer. Before long, these simple coding project ideas will begin to grow and take on a life of their own.
6. Code a Rock, Paper, Scissors Game
Rock, Paper, Scissors is a classic game that can easily be turned into a computer science project for developers who are just starting out. It requires both taking user input and coding in random elements. You’re creating both the game and the logic behind the bot you’re playing against.
Cool programming projects like this provide beginner coders with an interactive product that can be played immediately. A little instant gratification goes a long way when trying to staying inspired. Since there are various graphic objects to interact with, you can be as creative as you’d like.
7. Build Your Own Tic-Tac-Toe Game
Tic-Tac-Toe is a classic childhood game with straightforward rules. Building a Tic-Tac-Toe app is a little more challenging than it appears. Creating the layout is pretty simple, but the logic is where it gets interesting. Programming the code to know when to end the game is one of the best ideas for beginners who want to stretch their brains.
Using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, you can learn how to create an unbeatable Tic-Tac-Toe bot. Who ever said that programming project ideas for beginners can’t bring a bit of hard-won glory to your life? Go get ’em, champ.
8. Web Scraper With Python
Python is famous for its versatility and applicability to just about any coding project. You can use Python, along with a Python library called Beautiful Soup, to extract data from HTML and XML documents.
This example of web scraping exports the data into a CSV file so you can use a program like Excel to create charts, graphs, plots, and more. Python can do more than scrape HTML code—you can build Twitter, Instagram, or Reddit bots using Python, as well.
Programming practice projects like this will require you to download a Python distribution called Anaconda. It’s a large library with all kinds of Python tools built-in from the start (just plug-and-Python!).
Learning how to find and download helpful tools is just as critical as finding things to code in general. The best programming projects for beginners teach you this lesson early.
9. Build a Basic HTML5 Website
Few projects for beginner programmers will teach you as much as building a full HTML and CSS website. Creating a simple website combines design principles, file linking, web hosting, and coding logic. This is another of those fun coding projects to include in your portfolio, especially if you’re on your way to becoming a web developer.
The complexity of your website will grow the more you learn. Other programming languages you discover can be used on the back end of websites, making them a fantastic go-to when flexing your programming skills.
10. Build a Simple JavaScript Slideshow
Building a JavaScript slideshow is a fun programming project that isn’t all that much work. Coding project ideas for beginners like this are recommended because they teach you the basics of interacting with the Document Object Model (DOM) in a browser and making your website dynamic.
Easy programming projects like this are valuable because they can be used over and over again. If you want to be a full-time web developer, you may find yourself using something like this on many different websites with all kinds of designs. The logic remains the same, so learning it here is highly recommended.
The Best Programming Projects for Beginners: Start Small, Think Big
Good programming projects inspire the beginner; they make tackling the next challenge something exciting to look forward to.
After partaking in several cool coding projects that use HTML and CSS, you’ll soon find yourself coding projects in JavaScript. Before long, you’ll be scouring the Web for Python programming projects and creating complex games and apps. It’s amazing what a steady, consistent flow of cool code projects will do for your programming knowledge and enthusiasm.
If you’re hungry for knowledge, the search for things to program never ceases. Fun programming projects for beginners are likely all around you. What part of your life would you like to improve next?
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