Scratch

Scratch Jr.

Recommended Ages

K–2nd grades (ages 5–7)

Scratch Jr. is a simplified coding app for young children that introduces core programming ideas through drag-and-drop storytelling. Kids ages 5–7 snap together colorful blocks to make characters move, talk, and interact, learning sequencing, loops, and cause-and-effect along the way. Developed by researchers at MIT and Tufts specifically for early childhood, Scratch Jr. is free and designed for pre-readers and emerging readers. Parents like that it turns iPad time into creative play rather than passive watching, and that kids can retell favorite stories or invent their own. It’s ideal as a first step into coding for kindergarten and early elementary students. The interface is intentionally minimal, so children may need a bit of adult scaffolding at first. To increase educational value, sit with your child, ask them to explain their “programs,” and encourage them to storyboard projects on paper before building them in the app.

Pre‑K through early‑elementary kids who enjoy stories, drawing, and tapping around on a tablet with a caregiver nearby, especially pre‑readers who aren’t ready for text‑based coding.

Pros

Free, tablet‑based introductory coding app that lets 5‑ to 7‑year‑olds create animated stories and games with simple blocks; widely praised for building sequencing, cause‑and‑effect thinking, and confidence in very young coders.

Cons

Projects are limited in complexity, there’s no built‑in long‑term progression or assessment, and updates are infrequent; it works best on newer tablets and can be frustrating on older devices.

The app is completely free; some schools and libraries support ScratchJr workshops or device lending with public funds, but there is nothing for individual families to purchase through ESA or charter accounts.

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Scratch Jr.
$0.00 USD

Skills

What kids will learn
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Coding
Coding
Early Learning
Early Learning
STEM
STEM

Scratch Jr. Mission

ScratchJr’s mission is to introduce children ages 5–7 to coding as a new form of literacy—another way to tell stories, solve problems, and express ideas. Through a playful, block-based interface designed for emerging readers, the free app lets young children create interactive stories and games, helping them develop sequencing, logic, and design skills while building confidence with technology long before traditional programming courses begin. [oai_citation:10‡Tufts Now](https://now.tufts.edu/2014/07/30/scratchjr-coding-kindergarten?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

Scratch Jr. Story

ScratchJr was created through a collaboration among researcher Marina Umaschi Bers at Tufts University (now at Boston College), Mitchel Resnick’s Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab, and designers Paula Bonta and Brian Silverman at the Playful Invention Company. Building on the success of Scratch for older children, the team saw that early elementary students needed a simpler, more visual way to program before they could read text-based commands. With support from research grants and public-media partners, they redesigned the interface for tiny hands and short attention spans—big icons, limited blocks, and lots of room for storytelling—launching the app in 2014 so that even kindergartners could program their own animations and share them with family and classmates. [oai_citation:11‡Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ScratchJr?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

About Modular Learning

FAQ: Additional Details about Scratch Jr.

A typical ScratchJr session might find your child curled up on the couch with a tablet, dragging motion blocks to make a cat hop across the screen, recording their own voice for sound effects, and proudly showing you how tapping the sun makes the whole scene change from day to night.

ScratchJr is a free tablet app that introduces ages 5–7 to coding by letting them snap together colorful blocks to create interactive stories and games. Families download the app on an iPad, Android tablet, or compatible Chromebook and then work through built‑in projects or simply let kids explore and remix scenes.

Grown‑ups often sit alongside at first to read prompts, help kids notice patterns, and ask open‑ended questions, then gradually step back as children gain confidence and begin inventing their own stories.

Designed for prereaders and early readers; kids need basic fine‑motor control to drag blocks on a touchscreen but do not need to type or spell.

Scratch Jr. gives pre‑readers and early readers a way to code with icons, making it great for autistic, ADHD, and dyslexic kids ages 5–7. Short, tactile projects on a tablet can support fine‑motor practice and sequencing skills without heavy language demands.

Good entry point for younger 2e kids; icons and simple blocks make it possible to experiment with logic and sequencing well before writing is solid.

Because ScratchJr is free to download and use, there is no refund policy.

Not ideal for older kids who want more powerful tools, families who are strictly screen‑free, or learners who need a very structured, lesson‑by‑lesson course.

Good alternatives and next steps include Scratch (for ages 8+), codeSpark Academy, Kodable, and unplugged coding games like Robot Turtles or Code & Go Robot Mouse.

The ScratchJr team periodically updates the app for new devices and operating systems and shares new teaching ideas and classroom examples, but the core block set and interface remain intentionally simple and stable for young learners.

Give kids fun challenges (“make the cat dance when you tap the green flag”) and have them explain their block sequences to you—this “teach‑back” cements their understanding.

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Meet Marina

Dr. Marina Umaschi Bers is the Augustus Long Professor of Education at Boston College, with a secondary appointment in computer science and leadership of the DevTech Research Group, which she founded in 2001. Trained at MIT under Seymour Papert, she has spent her career designing learning technologies—like ScratchJr and the screen-free KIBO robot—that treat coding as a “playground” for young children’s imagination and moral development, not just a technical skill. A homeschooling-friendly fun fact: her work focuses heavily on family coding events and early-childhood classrooms, helping adults with little tech experience feel comfortable learning alongside their kids. [oai_citation:12‡Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Umaschi_Bers?utm_source=chatgpt.com)