70+ CAS Project Ideas

What Is NOT Considered a CAS Project?

You might pick activities that don’t meet project standards if you don’t understand what CAS requires. From what I’ve seen, this happens most of the time when students focus on work instead of organization. By general IB standards, not every useful activity immediately fits the requirements.

Please note that one-time or very short activities are not accepted. For example, helping out at a charity event or pitching in at a school fundraiser might count as a CAS experience, but it doesn’t quite meet the bar for a long-term initiative. A qualifying project has to be kept up for at least one month.

Another thing to keep in mind is that activities you do on your own aren’t always the best fit. Even if the idea is creative or useful for society, working independently goes against a key CAS requirement. As I understand it, collaboration and shared responsibility need to be clearly demonstrated from planning through reflection.

Another common mistake is mixing up paid work with academic obligations. You can’t count tasks that were done for money or as part of school. From what I’ve seen, students often think that paid tutoring or research on a subject counts, but IB doesn’t see it that way.

And finally, initiatives that aren’t clearly planned out, have no structure, or aren’t given any thought aren’t considered valid. Just “doing something helpful” without goals or documented learning isn’t enough. If you can’t plan, reflect on, and link an activity to learning outcomes, it probably doesn’t meet IB CAS standards.

What Are Some Good CAS Project Ideas?

Struggling to come up with good ideas for your IB CAS project? I’m here to help. Here’s a list of great activities, grouped into the Creativity, Action, and Service categories.

Creativity CAS Project Ideas

1. Organize a student art exhibition – A small team plans an exhibition, collects artwork from students, and presents it at school or in a community space.
2. Create a short podcast series – You and your group plan topics, record episodes, and publish them regularly for students to listen to.
3. Design visuals for a charity or school project – This could include posters, social media graphics, or simple branding that supports a real initiative.
4. Run a creative writing or storytelling club – You meet weekly, guide writing activities, and help younger students gain confidence in their ideas.
5. Produce a short documentary – The team researches an issue, films interviews or scenes, and edits everything into a finished video.
6. Launch a student magazine or blog – Your team plans content, edits articles, and publishes issues regularly for the school community.
7. Run photography workshops – You teach basic photography skills and organize a small showcase at the end.
8. Create a short theatre or drama performance – The group writes, rehearses, and performs a play for students or parents.
9. Design educational infographics – Visual explanations are created to help students understand topics like study skills or wellbeing.
10. Organize a music collaboration project – Students rehearse together and record or perform original or adapted pieces.
11. Create a school newsletter – Your team collects stories, edits content, and releases issues that reflect student life.
12. Run basic graphic design sessions – You teach simple tools and help others create posters or digital content.
13. Make an animation or short visual series – The group plans concepts, creates visuals, and publishes them online or at school.
14. Organize a poetry or spoken-word event – Students write, rehearse, and perform pieces in a relaxed setting.
15. Create creative content for school events – This includes videos, posters, or stage visuals used during assemblies or celebrations.

Activity CAS Project Ideas

1. Starting a weekly fitness challenge – You plan simple workouts and encourage students to stay active over several weeks.
2. You can organize beginner sports sessions – These sessions focus on learning basics and making sports less intimidating for new participants.
3. Leading yoga or stretching classes – The goal is to help students relax, move, and build healthy routines together.
4. Try to plan a school-wide step or cycling challenge – Participants track progress while your team manages motivation and organization.
5. Create an outdoor activity group – Regular walks or hikes give students a reason to stay active and connect outside the classroom.
6. Start a morning movement routine – Short sessions before school help students wake up and stay active.
7. Organizing friendly sports tournaments – These focus on participation rather than competition.
8. Leading guided running or jogging sessions – The group meets regularly and tracks gradual progress.
9. Planning a dance or movement challenge – Students learn simple routines and practice over several weeks.
10. Creating a stretching break program – Short movement breaks are introduced during long study periods.
11. Starting a weekly stretching or mobility group is a good idea – Sessions focus on posture, flexibility, and injury prevention.
12. You can organize simple PE games for younger students – In this case, the goal is fun movement rather than competition.
13. Leading after-school fitness walks – Regular walks encourage activity without intense workouts.
14. Plan a personal fitness tracking project – Participants set goals and reflect on physical progress over time.
15. Creating short movement routines for study breaks – These routines help students reset during long academic days.

Service CAS Project Ideas

1. Tutoring younger students – You offer regular academic help while learning how to explain concepts clearly and patiently.
2. Organize homework support sessions – The project creates a relaxed space where students can ask questions and catch up.
3. You can also run an environmental awareness campaign – You focus on simple actions like recycling, waste reduction, or energy saving at school.
4. Supporting a local community group – This involves consistent volunteering that responds to real needs, not one-time help.
5. Create educational workshops – You plan and deliver sessions on topics like mental health, inclusion, or digital safety.
6. Try to create study guides for younger grades – Materials are shared to help students prepare for tests more confidently.
7. Running digital literacy sessions – You help others understand online safety, basic tools, or productivity apps.
8. Organizing donation drives – The team plans and manages collections for clothes, books, or school supplies.
9. Supporting new students – You create orientation activities that help newcomers settle in more easily.
10. Creating simple wellbeing resources – Short guides or sessions focus on stress, sleep, or time management.
11. Helping teachers prepare learning materials – You assist with worksheets, presentations, or classroom organization.
12. Creating welcome packs for new students – The team prepares guides and resources to help newcomers feel comfortable.
13. Running peer-support check-in sessions – Students create a safe space for conversation and listening.
14. Organizing book or supply exchanges – The project helps students reuse materials instead of buying new ones.
15. Creating simple guides for study skills – Resources focus on time management, note-taking, or exam preparation.

How to Use These CAS Project Ideas?

According to general IB criteria, a CAS project is one sustained initiative, but it can grow out of or connect to more than one ongoing activity if they are clearly linked by a single goal and planned together. However, there’s an important boundary. The project should:

• have one clear purpose,
• be planned as a whole,
• involve collaboration, and
• be reflected on as one story, not as unrelated parts.

What you can’t do is take two completely separate activities and later label them as one project just to make CAS easier. In my opinion, IB is very relaxed about structure, but not about intent.

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Combined CAS Project Ideas (Strands Explained)

From my experience, when creativity, activity, and service come together in one idea, planning becomes simpler and reflections feel much more genuine.

1. School wellbeing week
   This project combines Creativity and Activity, and often Service as well. The creative side comes from planning workshops, talks, or visual materials, while the activity element includes fitness or movement sessions.
2. Community clean-up and awareness campaign
   Activity and Service, with some Creativity (if you create awareness materials). Within this project, the physical work happens during clean-up events, and the service aspect is clear through environmental support.
3. After-school sports and mentoring program
   This project combines Activity and Service. Running sports sessions covers physical engagement, while mentoring younger students adds a strong service component.
4. Educational content for a local cause
   Here, Creativity and Service are clearly combined. Students create videos, posts, or materials while actively supporting an organization or campaign. If the project includes workshops or events, it may also include an activity.
5. Charity fitness challenge
   This idea combines Activity and Service. The fitness challenge involves regular physical effort, while the charity or awareness focus supports a cause beyond the student group. Designing the challenge structure can also include creativity.
6. Student-led study and wellbeing workshops
   This project combines Creativity and Service. Students design sessions on topics like study habits or stress management and run them for younger grades.
7. Outdoor fitness and nature awareness group
   This option mixes Activity and Service, with some creativity involved in planning routes or sessions. Regular walks or workouts cover physical effort, while encouraging care for local green spaces adds a service element.
8. Peer support and mentoring program
   This combines Service and Creativity. Students plan mentoring sessions, discussion topics, and simple activities to support younger or new students.
9. Cultural exchange or language club
   This project brings together Creativity and Service. Students plan activities that introduce different cultures or languages.
10. Health awareness campaign with active events
    This combines Creativity, Activity, and Service. Students create informational materials, organize active events like walks or challenges, and focus on improving awareness around health or well-being.
11. School recycling system improvement
    This combines Service and Creativity, with some Activity if physical setup is involved.
12. Beginner fitness sessions for teachers or parents
    This project mixes Activity and Service. Students plan and lead simple workout or stretching sessions that support adult wellbeing while staying physically active themselves.
13. Student media team for school events
    This combines Creativity and Service. The group films, photographs, or writes about school events, helping the community while developing media skills.
14. Community garden or plant-care project
    This idea blends Activity and Service, with creativity in planning layouts or schedules. Students work regularly in a garden space while supporting environmental or community goals.
15. Digital wellbeing and screen-balance campaign
    This combines Creativity and Service. Students design materials, run discussions, or host sessions that help others reflect on screen time and healthy habits.
16. Homework and study drop-in club
    Service and Creativity. You plan sessions, create simple study activities, and help other students on a regular basis.
17. School fitness break initiative
    This mixes Activity and Service. Short movement breaks are organized to help students stay focused and active during long school days.
18. Mental health support resources for students
    This combines Creativity and Service. The team creates guides, posters, or short talks that support student well-being.
19. Beginner language practice sessions
    This idea blends Creativity and Service. Students plan informal language activities to help others practice speaking in a relaxed setting.
20. Charity awareness week with active events
    Creativity, Activity, and Service. Students plan events, create promotional materials, and organize physical challenges to support a cause.
21. Peer-led revision workshops
    This option mixes Creativity and Service. Students design revision sessions and help others prepare for exams over several weeks.
22. Outdoor clean-up with educational follow-up
    It combines Activity and Service, with creativity in designing awareness materials after the clean-up.
23. Student wellbeing newsletter or page
    This blends Creativity and Service. The team produces content focused on stress, balance, and school life.
24. Inclusive sports sessions
    In this project, you can combine Activity and Service. Sports sessions are adapted to be welcoming for beginners or less confident students.
25. School events planning and support team
    This mixes Creativity and Service. Students help organize events, manage logistics, and support the school community.
26. Student-led sustainability audit and action plan
    This project combines Service and Creativity, with some Activity if physical changes are involved. Students review school practices such as waste or energy use, then design and help implement realistic improvements.
27. Intergenerational skills exchange program
    This idea blends Service and Creativity. Students organize sessions where they teach basic digital or language skills to older community members while learning practical knowledge or life experience in return.
28. Healthy cooking and nutrition workshops
    This project brings together Creativity, Activity, and Service. Planning recipes and sessions covers creativity, cooking involves physical engagement, and teaching healthy habits supports others.
29. School space redesign for wellbeing
    This combines Creativity and Service, with optional Activity. Students redesign a quiet or shared space to improve comfort and focus, using feedback from the school community.
30. Student-run awareness survey and results campaign
    This project mixes Creativity and Service. Students design surveys on topics like stress or sleep, analyze responses, and present findings through posters, talks, or digital content.

So, combined ideas are useful mainly for students who want fewer, longer projects or who naturally see overlap in what they enjoy doing. However, they are optional, not expected.

As I’ve said above, IB coordinators care much more about clarity, commitment, and reflection than about how many strands appear in a single project.

Conclusion

From my experience, the projects that succeed are usually simple, realistic, and genuinely meaningful to the students behind them. In the end, CAS is really about learning, teamwork, and honest reflection, not about doing everything perfectly.

Also, if you ever get stuck or aren’t sure what to do, the pros at BuyInternalAssessment.com are ready to help you with any IB-related tasks.