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Sean's Scratch Coding Tutorials

What is Scratch?

The Scratch catScratch is a programming language, popular in schools and education. You can use Scratch to build your own games, stories and other projects. Instructions are prewritten on blocks that you drag and drop, so there's minimal typing involved. Blocks lock together like jigsaw pieces, so Scratch guides you to combine instructions in ways that make sense.

I've collected together my Scratch tutorials, free book chapters, sprite packs and more, to help you learn to start coding in Scratch. I hope that these will prove to be valuable teaching resources, as well as useful for students teaching themselves Scratch, community code club leaders, and parents.


Assets for your games

Press Play Sound Pack

Press Play: Sound Pack

Download my collection of music loops and sound effects for your Scratch games. Includes instructions!

Mickey Mouse sprite pack

Mickey and Minnie Mouse sprites

I've extracted Mickey and Minnie Mouse images from the film Steamboat Willie for you to use in your projects.

Coder academy sprite pack

Coder Academy sprite pack

This sprite pack was created using characters that appeared in my book Coder Academy, illustrated by Rosan Magar.

Coder academy sprite pack

Red Nose Day sprite packs

Themes include Danceathon, Celebrities, Great British Bake-Off, Health, and Special Effects.

Ransom font

Sean's Ransom font

This font resembles letters cut from a newspaper. Use it to write messages and titles on the Stage!


Free chapters from Scratch books (PDFs)

Scratch Programming in Easy Steps

Scratch Programming IES

Get a free sample PDF from this popular book, now fully updated for Scratch 3. The sample chapter here introduces you to Scratch and shows you how to make your first simple project.

Cool Scratch Projects in Easy Steps

Cool Scratch Projects IES

Create the first project in this book, Magic Mirror, in which the cat's reflection is distorted in different ways as it walks past a mirror. This book comes with 3D glasses and features projects using them.

Raspberry Pi For Dummies

Raspberry Pi For Dummies

This book sampler for Raspberry Pi For Dummies includes a guide to Scratch 1.4 and Scratch 2 on the Raspberry Pi. The full book includes a project to build a simple arcade game in Scratch.

Coder Academy

Coder Academy

Invent your own on-screen instrument and code a tune in this chapter, dedicated to the music features of Scratch. This book is aimed at children aged 7 to 10 years old, and includes lots of on-the-page activities.

Coding Compendium

Coding Compendium

This 100-page ebook is free to my newsletter subscribers. It includes tutorials and projects for Scratch, Python, Raspberry Pi and microbit.


Scratch tutorials and teaching resources

Text display example from Scratch Lab saying Hello Scratch

Text display and facial recognition

I tested the experimental new features for text display and facial recognition in Scratch. My blog includes some code examples you can try.

Coder academy sprite pack

Multiple Choice quiz

This tutorial shows you how to build a multiple choice quiz, including how to paste a list into a Scratch project. From The MagPi issue 34.

micro:bit photo

Using the micro:bit with Scratch

Here are my tips on using the micro:bit with Scratch, including how to get started and how to use the micro:bit to control projects.

audio game screenshot

Make a micro:bit audio game

This tutorial from micro:mag shows you how to create an audio game using the micro:bit and the text-to-speech feature in Scratch.

Cat Catcher game title screen

Using a Sense HAT in Scratch

Use a Sense HAT on Raspberry Pi to control a car in this top-down racing game. From The MagPi.

Learn to Code

Learn to Code

This 12-page feature from The MagPi introduces Scratch and shows you how to build a simple game, before moving on to Python and electronics.

Scratch notes infographic

Scratch notes infographic

This infographic shows the musical note numbers in Scratch to make it easier to program tunes. The same numbers are used in Sonic Pi.

Shaun the Sheep screenshot

Shaun the Sheep football

See how I made Shaun the Sheep Football in Scratch, using the Shaun the Sheep Game Academy sprite pack.

high score table

Where are the missing blocks?!

Discover how to get projects written for an older version of Scratch working in Scratch 3.

Cat Catcher game title screen

How to add a title screen

This tutorial from The MagPi shows you how to add a title screen to your Scratch project. It's from issue 36 of the magazine.

high score table

How to add a high score table

I wrote this article for The MagPi to show you how to add a simple high score table to your Scratch game

ScratchJr

ScratchJr review

Read my review of ScratchJr on the iPad, including a simple game you can make.

ScratchJr

Scratch Conference 2019 review

Scratch Europe Conference came to Cambridge in 2019. Read my round-up.


Play some Scratch games!


Christmas Scratch fun


Scratch community links

Find out more

For more help with Scratch, see my books Scratch Programming in Easy Steps and Cool Scratch Projects in Easy Steps.

Credits

Articles from The MagPi reproduced under a Creative Commons licence, with thanks to The MagPi team. You can support the magazine by buying a copy in your newsagent, or subscribing.

Credits

© Sean McManus. All rights reserved.

Visit www.sean.co.uk for free chapters from Sean's coding books (including Mission Python, Scratch Programming in Easy Steps and Coder Academy) and more!

Discover my latest books

Coding Compendium

Coding Compendium

A free 100-page ebook collecting my projects and tutorials for Raspberry Pi, micro:bit, Scratch and Python. Simply join my newsletter to download it.

Web Design in Easy Steps

Web Design IES

Web Design in Easy Steps, now in its 7th Edition, shows you how to make effective websites that work on any device.

100 Top Tips: Microsoft Excel

100 Top Tips: Microsoft Excel

Power up your Microsoft Excel skills with this powerful pocket-sized book of tips that will save you time and help you learn more from your spreadsheets.

Scratch Programming in Easy Steps

Scratch Programming IES

This book, now fully updated for Scratch 3, will take you from the basics of the Scratch language into the depths of its more advanced features. A great way to start programming.

Mission Python book

Mission Python

Code a space adventure game in this Python programming book published by No Starch Press.

Cool Scratch Projects in Easy Steps book

Cool Scratch Projects in Easy Steps

Discover how to make 3D games, create mazes, build a drum machine, make a game with cartoon animals and more!

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