JavaScript Projects for Beginners

These JavaScript project ideas for beginners are samples of things you can code with basic JavaScript skills (along with some HTML and CSS). By looking at the source code for each of these simple JavaScript projects you’ll start to understand how you can build a new version of the same idea, or build on the original open source code to add your own twists and tweaks.

1. BUILD A JAVASCRIPT CLOCK If you’re on a website or using web applications with a self-updating time feature (you know, a clock), there’s a very good chance it’s powered by JavaScript code. This means JavaScript clocks don’t just make for good JavaScript projects, a JavaScript clock lets you get hands-on with the kind of actual work you’ll be doing as a JavaScript developer.
2. BUILD A JAVASCRIPT TIP CALCULATOR Whenever I go out to eat and I’m having a hard time calculating the right tip, I’ll fumble with my phone and search for a “tip calculator” on Google. I couldn’t tell you the name or the url of the one I usually end up using, but it’s a simple JavaScript app. So go ahead and take a swing at making your own tip calculator. This calculator is a perfect JavaScript sample project that shows the kind of fun JavaScript projects you can build with JavaScript and a little bit of HTML and CSS.
3. BUILD A JAVASCRIPT ANIMATED NAVIGATION TOGGLE When you build website menus using only HTML and CSS, you’re limited to creating links that move the user from one static page to another—it’s JavaScript that allows for drop down, collapsible, and otherwise animated navigation features when you’re doing web development. Animated navigation toggles are another ubiquitous part of the internet landscape that you’ll be able to crank out for clients and potential employers once you get the hang of the JavaScript programming language.
4. BUILD A JAVASCRIPT MAP If you’ve ever used Google Maps to zoom in on a location and change your view mode, you were using features that were built with JavaScript. JavaScript’s ability to create dynamic objects makes it a natural fit for creative interactive maps on websites or in a web app. While you don’t need to aim for recreating Google Maps on your first time out, experimenting with simple JavaScript projects like Sara B’s interactive Codepen map (built using the JavaScript framework jQuery—a collection of JavaScript libraries with pre-written, reusable code) is a solid way to familiarize yourself with JavaScript’s map-making capabilities.
5. BUILD A JAVASCRIPT GAME HTML and CSS are important building blocks in web development, but JavaScript is the programming language that moves websites from function to fun. So it’s no surprise that games are on the list of fun JavaScript projects that let you practice your skills without falling asleep at the keyboard. Martin’s Codepen maze is a perfect example of games as simple JavaScript projects.
6. BUILD A JAVASCRIPT MOUSEOVER ELEMENT Another bit of JavaScript goodness you’ve come to rely on online is the mouseover effect—instances where hovering a mouse over a certain icon or area on a screen produces an action or result from the spot where you’re hovering. Mouseovers are a routine part of JavaScript development, so spending your time on a quick mouseover JavaScript project is a worthwhile way to spend the afternoon. Roger Van Hout’s Happy Bouncing Balls mouseover on CodePen displays a field of balls resembling the kind you’d get from gum machines as a kid. Hover your mouse over any single sphere and watch it expand.
7. BUILD A JAVASCRIPT LOGIN AUTHENTICATION Something as simple as a website’s login authentication bar (the area where you enter your email and password to log in to the site) is another part of JavaScript’s domain. This JavaScript project for beginners is a good idea to master, since just about every website has a login authentication feature. Mike Tran’s Codepen authentication bar built using AngularJS (another JavaScript framework) is a clean, to the point JavaScript sample project.

8. BUILD A JAVASCRIPT DRAWING
   JavaScript can be used as a drawing tool, bringing HTML and CSS elements to life on a web browser screen. Being able to make static pages look more appealing with graphical elements is a key part of web development, so learning how to make the most out of JavaScript’s drawing capabilities is critical. Consider trying a drawing JavaScript project like Narayana’s Infinite Rainbow on CodePen.

9. BUILD A JAVASCRIPT TO-DO LIST
   JavaScript is particularly handy for coding interactive lists that let users add, remove, and group items—something you can’t do with HTML and CSS alone. If you’re like me and have great intentions of setting up a to-do list (but never do), now’s your chance. Use your JavaScript chops to whip up a to-do list like this JavaScript project sample built by John Fichera on Codepen.

10. BUILD A JAVASCRIPT QUIZ
    Who doesn’t love a quiz? Whether they’re telling you which career path you’re best suited for, where your political beliefs line up, or testing your knowledge on 1980’s WWF wrestlers, quizzes can be both fun and useful—we even use a quiz here at Skillcrush to help users determine which coding path is a good fit for them. If you’ve taken a quiz online, there’s a good chance some JavaScript source code was involved, and now’s your chance to put together quiz of your own. Follow in the footsteps of jksdk4 on CodePen’s JavaScript project sample, and see what you can do.