Getting Started with Scratch

Create your own games, animations, interactive stories, and more!

Created by the Scratch Foundation (scratchfoundation.org). Shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License (CCbySA 4.0).

Getting Started

You can use Scratch online at: scratch.mit.edu

Once you go to that website, click Create.

This takes you to the Scratch Editor, which is the place where you build your projects. (Make or log in to a free Scratch account so you can save your work.)

If your computer is older, or your internet connection isn't very strong, you can download Scratch and use it without the internet. Visit scratch.mit.edu/download to learn how to get the Scratch app.

The Scratch Editor

The Scratch Editor is where you build projects in Scratch. It has several main parts that you'll get to know as you work.

Let's Code!

To make projects in Scratch, you snap together blocks, which are like puzzle pieces that give instructions. Start by dragging out a "move" block.

Click the block to try it. Does your cat move?

Now make it talk! Click the Looks category. Drag out a "say" block. Snap it onto the "move" block. Click on your blocks to try them out.

What Is a Sprite?

In Scratch, any character or object in your project is called a sprite. Every new project starts with the Cat sprite.

Want to choose a different sprite? Click the New Sprite icon to pick one from the library.

Or, hover your mouse over the New Sprite icon to see more choices. You can draw your own sprite, get a surprise sprite, or upload a picture from your computer.

You can download our Sprite Creation coding cards from the Learning Library for more tips: scratchfoundation.org/learn/learning-library/sprite-creation

Want to delete a sprite from your project? First, click on its small picture in the Sprite List to select it. Then click the trash can to delete it.

Where Is Your Sprite?

Every sprite has an x and y position on the Stage (the area where your project plays).

• x tells you how far left or right the sprite is.
• y tells you how far up or down the sprite is.

Right in the middle of the Stage, x is 0 and y is 0.

When you move your sprite, you can watch its x and y numbers change.

Find more resources in our Learning Library: scratchfoundation.org/learn/learning-library/x-y-coordinates-grids

Quick Tips

Something not working the way you expected? Try these ideas:

• Add temporary waits. These slow down the action so you have time to check if each part is working. Once everything works, you can remove the waits.
• Try changing the order of your blocks. Ask yourself: What needs to happen first? Second? Third?
• Separate the blocks and click each one by itself to see what it does. Is there a similar block that might work better?

Debugging means finding and fixing errors in your code. Click the bug icon in the Scratch Project Editor for tips on how to find and fix problems. You can also check out more help in our Learning Library: scratchfoundation.org/learn/learning-library/debugging

Next Steps

Many Scratch projects start when the user clicks the green flag above the Stage. To set this up, click the Events category and drag out the block you want to use to start your code. Attach it to your other blocks, then click the green flag to test it.

You can share your projects with the whole Scratch community by clicking the Share button on your project page.

• Sharing lets other people play your project and look inside to see how you built it.
• You can unshare a project anytime (look under "My Stuff"). You can also turn comments on or off, however you like.

Remixing is a big part of the Scratch community! Remixing means making a copy of someone else's shared project and changing it to make it your own. It's a great way to connect with others, get new ideas, and grow as a creator. Click the Remix button on any shared project to get your own copy, then make a meaningful change to personalize it.

Starter Projects

Starter projects already have some simple code built in, so you don't have to start completely from scratch! You can remix them to make your own creations. Find them at scratch.mit.edu/starter-projects. Click "See Inside" to get started.

Tutorials

The Scratch Tutorials Library has many tutorials to help you learn. They guide you step-by-step as you create your own stories, animations, and games.

You can find the Tutorials Library by clicking the Tutorials button in the Scratch Editor.

The Getting Started tutorial teaches you the basics.

Once you pick a tutorial, it opens right in the Scratch Editor. Click the green arrow to move through each step.

When you finish a tutorial, you can pick another one that's suggested, click "See More" to see all the tutorials, or click the close button to keep working on your project.

You can also find video tutorials on our official Scratch YouTube page: youtube.com/c/ScratchTeam

Coding Cards

The Scratch Coding Cards are another fun way to learn how to build projects. You can find them in our Learning Library: scratchfoundation.org/learn/learning-library

The back of each title card lists all the cards in that set. Each set shows examples of what you can make and walks you through each step of building the project.

Once you finish a card set, you can customize your project by adding your own sprites, backdrops, sounds, and more!

The Animate a Character cards are a great place to start.

The front of each card shows what you can create. Flip it over to see how to do it.

Get Creative!

Play around, explore, and use your imagination when you build projects. Here are ways to make your Scratch projects one-of-a-kind:

• Create your own original sprites and backdrops! (scratchfoundation.org/learn/learning-library/sprite-creation and .../backdrop-background)
• Choose a sound, or record your own. (scratchfoundation.org/learn/learning-library/sound-music)
• Try changing numbers or adding new blocks to see what happens. Experiment and customize your project any way you want!

Level Up!

Ready to learn more? Check out our video tutorials and coding cards on these topics:

• Conditional Statements – blocks that make decisions in your code
• Variables and Lists – ways to store and use information
• My Blocks (custom blocks) – blocks you design yourself
• Clones – copies of a sprite
• Face Sensing
• Pen Blocks/Turtle Graphics – drawing with code

You can find all of these at scratchfoundation.org/learn/learning-library

Choose Your Color Mode

We want everyone to be able to read and use Scratch easily. That's why Scratchers can choose High Contrast blocks, which are easier for some people to see, or use the regular block colors.

You can change this under Settings > Color Mode in the project editor. You can switch back and forth anytime.

Choose Your Language

Do you or someone you're working with speak a language other than English? You can change the language of the Scratch Editor under Settings > Language. You can also change the language at the bottom of many pages on the site.

Looking for More?

Want even more help? The Scratch Foundation's website has a Learning Library with hundreds of free learning materials — coding cards, video tutorials, lesson plans, and more! Explore it at scratchfoundation.org/learn/learning-library. You can search and filter to find what you need, and new resources are added all the time.

For Parents and Caregivers

A few resources you might like:

• Creative Learning Guide for Families – tips for creating together and supporting playful learning
• Scratch Design Journal – helps creators plan, try out ideas, and think back on their work
• Guide to the Scratch Online Community

For Educators

A few resources you might like:

• Scratch's Creative Learning Philosophy – our teaching ideas and tips
• Teacher Accounts – how to set up teacher accounts and manage classes
• Lesson Plans and Educator Guides on many topics
• All Blocks Posters – posters showing all the blocks and the project editor
• Scratch Design Journal – helps students plan, try out ideas, and think back on their work
• Reflection worksheets – for sharing work and thinking about the creative process
• Studio Guide – how to create studios (collections of shared projects)

Created by the Scratch Foundation (scratchfoundation.org). Shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License (CCbySA 4.0).