You learn Python by building things. Tutorials give you the ideas, projects make them stick. Here are ten Python projects for beginners, ordered from easiest to hardest, with what each one teaches. For games, see easy Python games to code.
Direct answer: where to start
Start with a tip calculator or number guessing game, then build a to-do list, a quiz and a budget tracker. Each project should add one new idea: input, conditions, loops, lists, dictionaries, functions and files.
The projects
1. Tip calculator
Teaches: input, numbers, printing. Ask for a bill and a percentage, print the tip and total.
bill = float(input("Bill amount: "))
percent = float(input("Tip percent: "))
tip = bill * percent / 100
print(f"Tip: {tip:.2f}, total: {bill + tip:.2f}")
2. Number guessing game
Teaches: while loops, conditions, the random module. See learn Python by playing games.
3. Unit converter
Teaches: functions and choices. Convert kilometres to miles and back, or Celsius to Fahrenheit.
4. Password strength checker
Teaches: strings and conditions. Check length, numbers and symbols and print a rating.
5. To-do list in the terminal
Teaches: lists, loops and menus. Let the user add, view and remove tasks.
6. Quiz game
Teaches: dictionaries and scoring. Store questions and answers in a list of dictionaries.
7. Budget tracker
Teaches: lists of dictionaries, totals, formatting. Record income and expenses and print a summary. Use the categories from our monthly budget template.
8. Flashcard app
Teaches: reading and writing files. Save cards to a text file and quiz yourself.
9. Text adventure
Teaches: functions and state. Rooms, choices and an inventory.
10. Simple data analysis
Teaches: working with real data. Read a CSV file of your own spending and print totals by category.
How to build any project in five steps
- Describe it in one sentence.
- List the steps on paper.
- Build the smallest working version. Even if it only does one thing.
- Test and fix. Read error messages carefully.
- Add one feature at a time.
When you get stuck
- Print values with
print()to see what the program is doing. - Read the last line of the error message first.
- Make the problem smaller and test only that part.
- Search the exact error message.
Choosing your first project
Pick something you would use or enjoy. You will finish a budget tracker you actually need much sooner than a project you have no interest in.
The bottom line
Projects turn knowledge into skill. Start with the tip calculator tonight and add one project a week. If you want the ideas in order with short lessons, the Python for Beginners course is free to start, and our 30-day plan shows when to build each.
