In this fast-growing world of technology, what is better than to know about Scratch Coding Games for kids? Scratch is a powerful tool that can help children as well as teachers to develop a wide range of skills that are essential for success in the digital age.
Scratch coding is a visual programming language and online community where users can create interactive games, animations, and simulations without the need to know complex programming languages.
- It is designed for children and beginners to learn the basics of programming concepts such as loops, conditionals, and variables.
- Users can create programs by dragging and dropping blocks of code that represent actions or commands onto a workspace.
Here is a sample game I have created using scratch coding!
(If you see a blue block below instead of the game, please reload the page and it should work.)
HOW IS SCRATCH CODING USEFUL FOR CHILDREN?
By using Scratch,
1. Children can develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills as they learn to plan and create interactive games, animations, and simulations. They also develop creativity, as they can use the visual blocks to create their own unique programs.
2. Additionally, Scratch helps children to develop their logic and reasoning skills, as they learn to think through the steps needed to accomplish a task.
3. Scratch also helps children to develop communication and collaboration skills, as they can share their programs with other users on the Scratch website and get feedback and suggestions.
HOW TO MAKE A BALLOON-CATCHING GAME ON SCRATCH?
To make a game on Scratch, you will need to use the Scratch programming environment, which is available online at the Scratch website or as a downloadable program for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Here are the basic steps to create a simple game on Scratch:
- Open Scratch and create a new project.
- Choose a background for your game. You can either use one of the built-in backgrounds or upload your own image.
- Add a sprite for the player character. You can choose from the built-in sprites or upload your own image.
3. Use the blocks in the Motion, Looks, Sound, and Control categories to add movement and other behaviors to your sprite. For example, you can use the “move 10 steps” block to make your sprite move to the right when the right arrow key is pressed. Here is an example of how you can add your blocks to make your game.
4. Use the “when flag clicked” block to start the game and the “stop with red hexagon”. For Balloon sprite use the given blocks below to make movements of balloon on up, down, left, right etc.
5. Test your game by clicking on the green flag and using the arrow keys or other controls to interact with the sprite.
6. Once you are satisfied with your game, you can save and share it with the Scratch community.
This is a basic example, you can find many tutorials and resources online to get more ideas.
Do comment if you’re interested in free online classes on scratch coding games.
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Hi Abeer,
I find these gaming steps intriguing but the very basic question about developing critical thinking and collaboration among children is very scientific. Children do not learn in isolation. They always need someone who is MKO. It’s very important to tell them “how to think rather than what to think”. What is the validity of coding on predefined functions in learning, and how it will be helpful for children, in terms of assessment? Secondly, you can’t build program just dragging and dropping. I don’t think it could be termed as coding ( which is already built) and you are executing on predefined function and terming as programming or do you mean bottom up?
Hello Shadab,
Thank you for your insights, Let me give you an explanation for your queries.
“I find these gaming steps intriguing, but the very basic question about developing critical thinking and collaboration among children is very scientific. Children do not learn in isolation. They always need someone who is MKO.”
I believe scratch or any other visual programming languages are scientific in nature as they provide a platform for children to discover something from the basics. In these applications, children can create, build, experiment, learn/unlearn, discover and finally transform their ideas into a working application. According to Piaget’s theory of Cognitive Development, children 5-7 years old cannot understand concepts when taught abstractly. They need visuals, concrete information, and sensory outputs to begin their journey of learning coding or anything new. Hence, Scratch or any other visual programming language is the best tool to develop curiosity in the minds of young learners.
“It’s very important to tell them “how to think rather than what to think.”
Scratch does the same. It encourages you how to think by giving unlimited development options. It gives you a canvas for the exploration of your creativity.
“What is the validity of coding on predefined functions in learning, and how it will be helpful for children, in terms of assessment?”
Predefined functions are there in every programming language. For example – let’s take python. print(), bool(), int(), all are predifined functions. You can’t write code without predefined functions. Scratch provides a similar set of functions needed to build a program. Only the difference is these are available in a visual format.
“Secondly, you can’t build program just dragging and dropping. I don’t think it could be termed as coding ( which is already built) and you are executing on predefined function and terming as programming or do you mean bottom up?”
I respectfully disagree. There are lots of “no-code/low-code” (For example Zoho Creator, Microsoft Power Apps, etc) tools available in the market, which enables people to build great applications. When people can build businesses out of such tools, programming can be taught using such tools. Not to mention, scratch is used by Harvard University and MIT for first-year Computer Science graduates.
For more information, you can visit their own site to understand more about scratch – https://scratch.mit.edu/about