Scratch Jr – Coding for Kids – Free Tutorials

Coding for young children.

Coding is the new literacy! With ScratchJr, young children (ages 5-7) can program their own interactive stories and games. In the process, they learn to solve problems, design projects, and express themselves creatively on the computer.

ScratchJr is a free tablet application introducing coding skills to children who can learn to think creatively and reason systematically at the pre-literate age.

It was developed by the MIT Media Lab, that also developed Scratch, in cooperation with Tufts University and The Playful Invention Company.

1: What is ScratchJr?

ScratchJr is a new version of the Scratch programming language designed for children ages five to seven. Using ScratchJr, kids can build their own animated stories, interactive games, collages, and other creative projects. ScratchJr teaches kids a new form of literacy: code. By learning to code, kids learn new ways of thinking, problem-solving, and expressing ideas.

2: Getting Started Tutorials

3: ScratchJr Activities Guide

4: ScratchJr Introduction and Inspiration

5: Short Introductory Tutorial

a short tutorial to help children get started with the ScratchJr app. It shows them how to create and save a new project. They learn how to move the cat forward and backward. They are also shown how to get the cat to appear and disappear. They should be encouraged to explore the app in their first lesson.

6: Learning About Loops in ScratchJr

7: Building a Dialouge in ScratchJr

8: ScratchJr Pre Release Webinar

Webinar with ScratchJr project leaders Marina Bers and Mitch Resnick. This webinar for educators and parents was recorded in August 2014, after the public launch of the iPad app. Mitch and Marina respond to questions about the initial release of ScratchJr, and discuss future directions for the ScratchJr