Useful Python Libraries for Fun Hobby Projects

Do you want to start your Python journey with some fun projects? It’s usually much more exciting to acquire new skills by practicing rather than reading theory. Let’s explore some useful Python libraries to help you on your way.

Python is a versatile programming language that can be used for just about anything. With Python, you can build apps and develop video games, automate routine tasks, analyze and visualize data, create machine learning models, build blockchains, and more.

You can explore Python functionalities yourself with some fun hobby projects. The rich ecosystem of Python modules, packages, libraries, and frameworks enables anyone to build advanced projects even at the beginning of their learning path. Later, we’ll explore how you can leverage pre-written code stored in Python modules and libraries for your own projects.

You still need to learn the basics to benefit from the Python ecosystem, though. If you have zero programming experience, I recommend starting with the Python Basics learning track. With 220 interactive exercises, you learn everything you need to start your first Python project.

Why Python Libraries Are so Important for Your Projects

When coding in Python, you don’t need to start from scratch. Experienced programmers from all over the world have written and open-sourced lots of code that solve specific tasks.

Such code is stored in modules. A collection of modules is called a package, and a collection of packages is usually called a Python library. Often, the term “Python library” is used interchangeably with “Python package” because packages can also contain modules and other packages (subpackages).

A Python library usually contains a bunch of functions that help you solve certain tasks quickly and efficiently. For example, there are useful Python libraries for game development, data analysis, data visualization, processing textual data, processing dates and time, creating bots, and much more.

In this article, I want to show you a few handy, very popular, and useful Python libraries for projects that are fun. Let’s take a look.

8 Useful Python Libraries You Should Know

For each Python library below, I discuss what it is used for and what kind of projects you can build with it. Some are easy to use even for beginners, while others require certain skills. The projects I discuss are also of various difficulty levels. I hope everybody finds some interesting ideas here for their next Python project.

random

The random module includes multiple functions that are random number generators to be applied in different scenarios. You can use it to pick a random integer number from a range, select a random element from a sequence, or generate a random permutation of a list in place. More advanced applications of this module exist, but even Python newbies can use this tool for some basic things – for example, picking a random integer from a range.

A variety of projects can benefit from the functions in this module, including password generators, simple games like number guessing, and even more advanced games. For example, to play "Rock, Paper, Scissors," you can use a random.choice() method for the computer to select between the three options: “rock,” “paper,” and “scissors.” In Hangman, you may benefit from the functions of this module to pick a random word from a list.

If you like the idea of building your own word game, try the course "Python Practice: Word Games" to learn some Python and to have lots of fun!

tkinter

tkinter is a great library for creating user interfaces. It is easy to learn, and anybody can master it quickly.

Numerous fun projects can benefit from a UI developed with tkinter. For example, you may want to build your own calculator, and tkinter helps you create buttons and display the results on the screen.

You can also use tkinter to build something more advanced, for example, a music player. An interactive user interface created with tkinter enables users to browse through tracks, control volume, and display basic information like song titles, artists, albums, and much more.

time and datetime

The ability to work with dates and times in Python is essential for every programmer, software developer, and data analyst. Why not practice it with some fun projects? The Python libraries you should know for this type of task are time and datetime.

The time module provides various time-related functions and is very useful when you work with time data without connection to any specific dates. For example, you can build a countdown timer using the time module. It takes the number of seconds as input and then initiates the countdown on the screen in “minutes: seconds” format.

You can also build an alarm clock. This requires not only the time library but also the datetime library. This project is beginner-friendly, and if you are just starting with Python, you can follow the code written by more experienced programmers. There, you see which libraries are useful for this project, how to create a graphical user interface with the tkinter module, how to use the functions from the time and datetime modules, and also how to create your own class in Python.

Read more about how to work with date and time in Python in this guide.

pandas

If you want to build a project related to data analysis, pandas is one of the most essential data science libraries. Because it is based on the NumPy package designed for computational operations with large, multi-dimensional arrays, it easily handles large amounts of data. At the same time, it has a dedicated data structure for two-dimensional data – the data frame. Data frame objects have rows and columns just like tables in Excel, which makes the pandas library very easy to use for those who are new to data analysis with Python.

There are many fun hobby projects you can do with tabular data using pandas. For example, you may download and analyze your Netflix data, your personal Facebook data, or even how much you are spending on Amazon. Check out these Python data science project ideas.

Matplotlib

Matplotlib is the plotting library for the Python programming language. With this library, you can create high-quality plots, make interactive figures that zoom, pan, and update, and also customize visual style and layout.

Matplotlib is the most basic library for data visualization in Python. However, creating publication-quality plots with this library may require lots of coding, since every minor customization usually requires a separate line of code.

Luckily, many third-party packages are built on Matplotlib and are more efficient for specific use cases. For example, you may use the seaborn library to draw attractive statistical graphics with just a few lines of code, the geoplot library for geospatial plotting, and the animatplot library for animated interactive plots.

You may choose your hobby visualization project based on your interests. If you are into finance, you may practice creating professional-looking plots for exchange rates or cryptocurrency prices. Alternatively, you may create traffic visualization on the map of your home city, or visualize the political support of different parties in your country.

pygame

pygame is a Python library designed for developing video games. Beyond fully featured games, you can also create multimedia programs with pygame. There are more than enough opportunities for some fun Python projects to be built with this library. Even if you are a newbie in game development, you can build something useful with pygame.

For example, you can use this library to implement the famous Snake Game in Python. You create the screen with the display.set_mode() function, then keep the screen updated with the update() function, draw a snake and its target with the draw.rect() function, and track time with the time.Clock() function.

As mentioned, the pygame library is not limited to just video games. It works with computer graphics and sound libraries and can process different multimedia formats like audio, video, etc. So, it is also handy for the music player project I mentioned earlier. The mixer.music module of the pygame library can provide all the functionality we need to manipulate the song tracks.

Panda3D

Panda3D is an engine for real-time 3D games, visualizations, and simulations. It helps you build a virtual world for your video game. You can use it to add something simple like a table or a sword.

However, it can also help you generate an entire dungeon or island in your video game. The 3D models are created using standard modeling programs like Blender or 3ds Max and then loaded into Panda3D to become part of the video game’s virtual world.

Building a 3D video game is not simple for a beginner in game development. To master it, you can start with a tutorial that guides you through the basic principles of this engine and helps you build your first simple game – a basic arena-based, top-down score-shooter.

Django

Django is a Python framework for rapid and clean web development. It helps create web applications from concept to launch in a matter of hours. Django is very popular among experienced web developers but even beginners can build something interesting and useful with this tool.

For example, you can build a URL shortener just like Bit.ly, a calorie counter, a simple chat application, or even a bot to automatically post tweets. None of these projects requires advanced programming skills, but you get the result to show to your friends and family.

Get more Python project ideas for beginners here.

It’s Time to Practice Python!

You cannot learn Python without lots of coding practice. Building something fun and useful is a perfect way to master new skills and learn new frameworks. But you need to know Python basics even for beginner’s projects. For that, interactive online courses with lots of coding challenges are a perfect solution.

To learn Python quickly and effectively while keeping the learning process fun and interactive, I recommend the following learning tracks:

• Python Basics is a mini-track perfect for complete beginners. The track includes three courses and over 200 coding challenges that cover the basics of Python syntax:
  • Python Basics. Part 1 covers conditional statements, loops, and creating your own functions.
  • Python Basics. Part 2 teaches you how to work with lists, dictionaries, and files in Python.
  • Python Basics. Part 3 introduces you to data structures such as sets and tuples. You also learn how to work with date and time in Python.
• Learning Programming with Python is a learning track aimed at newcomers who want to go beyond the basics. In addition to the courses listed above, this learning track explores the Python data structures in depth and covers built-in algorithms in Python.

Thanks for reading, and happy learning!