The BBC micro:bit is small enough to fit in a pencil case, but it can carry students a long way. The same board that a Year 5 class uses to build a step counter can sit at the centre of a Year 10 project that reads sensors, drives motors and runs on typed Python. That makes it one of the few pieces of classroom technology that upper primary and high school teachers can share.
The catch is knowing what to build. Below are eight micro:bit projects, grouped by year level, that start with the board on its own and work up to longer builds with add-on kits. The year levels are suggestions rather than rules, so move them up or down to suit your students.
What you need before you start
Every project here uses a micro:bit V2 board. The V2 has a lot built in: a 5x5 LED display, two buttons, a touch-sensitive logo, a speaker, a microphone, an accelerometer, a compass, and temperature and light sensors. Boards can also talk to each other by radio, and connect to other devices over Bluetooth.
Students write code in Microsoft MakeCode, either with drag-and-drop blocks or in Python, then copy it to the board with a USB cable. With a battery pack attached, the board can run away from the computer, which is where most projects come alive.
For a class, the simplest starting point is the micro:bit V2 Club: ten boards with ten USB cables, ten battery holders and twenty AAA batteries, so a class of 20 can work in pairs straight out of the box.
Years 5–6: projects with just the board
The first goal is for students to see that code can sense something and respond. You don't need any extra parts for these three.
1. Build a step counter
Students use the accelerometer to detect a shake, add one to a variable each time, and show the total on the LED display. Then the maths begins: walk ten steps, check the count, and work out how accurate it is. Ask them to change the sensitivity and test again.
What students practise: variables, inputs and outputs, and collecting and comparing data.
2. Make a classroom noise meter
Using the V2 microphone, students turn a sound level into a bar graph on the LEDs, with a face that changes when the room gets too loud. It's a quick way into thresholds and if/then decisions, and the class can agree on the limit together.
What students practise: conditions, choosing a threshold and testing it fairly.
3. Send secret messages by radio
Pairs set their boards to the same radio group and send short messages to each other. Once that works, challenge them to encode the message with a simple shift cipher so another pair listening on the same group can't read it.
What students practise: sending and receiving data, and an early look at how information is kept secure.
Years 6–8: adding sensors and outputs
Once students are comfortable with the board, add-on kits let them build things that act on the world: fans that switch on, windows that open, lights that change. Most add-on kits don't include a micro:bit board, so plan on using the boards you already have.
4. A fan that knows when it's hot
The micro:bit Smart Home Kit includes a temperature sensor, a motor with a fan, a 180° servo and an OLED screen. Students read the temperature, show it on the screen, and switch the fan on above a level they choose. Add the servo as a window that opens at the same time.
What students practise: reading a sensor, triggering an output, and explaining their design choices.
5. A plant that waters itself
The same kit has a soil moisture sensor and a small submersible pump. Students measure how dry the soil is, decide when the plant needs water and switch on the pump. It pairs well with a science unit on plant growth.
What students practise: calibrating a sensor, controlling an output safely and planning a fair test.
6. A push-button pedestrian crossing
The micro:bit Smart City Kit includes red, yellow and green LEDs, a servo, an ultrasonic distance sensor and a Wi-Fi expansion board. Students build a crossing where a button press starts a timed light sequence and the servo acts as a boom gate. Extend it by using the distance sensor to detect a waiting pedestrian.
What students practise: timing and sequence, user needs, and designing for safety.
Years 8–10: longer projects
Older students are ready for projects that run over several lessons and combine everything they've learnt.
7. Plan a moon-landing mission
The micro:bit Space Science Kit pairs a Nezha V2 expansion board and a smart motor with sensors, building blocks and a printed moon-landing map. Teams build a rover and program it to complete a mission on the map. Because it combines building, sensing and movement, it suits a multi-week project with roles in each team. We've written more about it in our post on the Space Science Kit in the classroom.
What students practise: planning a sequence of actions, combining sensing and movement, and working as a team.
8. Rewrite a block project in Python
Give students a block program they built earlier, such as the noise meter or the fan, and ask them to rebuild it in Python. They already know what the program should do, so the challenge is the language itself. Comparing the two versions side by side makes the structure of the code visible.
What students practise: syntax and indentation, reading error messages, and debugging line by line.
Running micro:bit projects with a whole class
- Work in pairs. One board between two keeps everyone hands-on and gets students talking through their thinking.
- Number everything. Label each board, cable and battery pack with the same number so sets go back together at pack-up.
- Test small first. Get one sensor reading on the display before wiring anything else. Most problems are easier to find one step at a time.
- Start with a problem, not a part. "The classroom gets too hot after lunch" leads to better projects than "use the temperature sensor".
How to choose where to start
If your students are new to micro:bit, start with boards only and projects 1 to 3. A ten-board class set covers 20 students working in pairs, and it's the base every later project needs. If they've already coded with the board, pick the add-on kit that matches a unit you're teaching: home and environment for science, a city for civics and design, or space for a longer project. For high school classes with some experience, the Space Science Kit and Python rewrite give the most stretch. Budget-wise, one kit per pair is ideal, but a few kits shared across groups still works for a single project.
Where to start
You'll find boards, class sets and project kits on our microbit page. Looking for more hands-on ideas for the same year levels? Try our 3D printing projects for students, or see how students build and fly a drone in our post on the MakeKit Air:bit 2.