Scratch Game Design for ages 7–11
Scratch is MIT's free block-coding tool, and it is where most programmers under twelve start. Over four sessions your child builds a complete game with a score, a timer and levels, then changes it into something that is unmistakably theirs and publishes it with a link you can share.
A game they designed and coded, published online for family to play
How 4 sessions get there
Each session is 60 minutes, live, and builds on the last. Your child is doing something for most of it.
Make a character, move it with the arrow keys, and learn the one idea every game runs on: a loop that checks for keys forever.
Clone objects that fall from random places, detect when the player catches one, and keep score in a variable.
Add a countdown, speed things up as the score climbs, and write the game-over screen. Most children meet their first real bug here, and fix it.
Each child changes the theme, sounds and rules, then publishes the game. The session ends with everyone playing each other's games.
What your family needs to know
You'll need
- A laptop or desktop (Scratch works on a tablet, but a keyboard makes it far easier)
- A free Scratch account, which a parent helps set up in session 1
Ready if
Your child can read short instructions on their own and use a mouse or trackpad.
Where you come in
Sit in on the first ten minutes of session 1 to set up the Scratch account. After that, the best thing you can do is play the game and report a bug.
Reserve a seat
guru.cool will call to confirm a batch time and the fee.
About Scratch Game Design
My child has never coded. Is this too hard?
Will the game be public?
Who runs this workshop?
What happens after I reserve a seat?
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4 sessions for ages 7 to 11, ending with a game they designed and coded, published online for family to play.