Sean's Scratch Coding Tutorials

What is Scratch?

Scratch 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

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

• Get the music

Coder Academy sprite pack

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

• Get the sprites

Red Nose Day sprite packs

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

• Get the sprites

Sean's Ransom font

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

• Get the images

Free chapters from Scratch books (PDFs)

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.

• Get the PDF!
• More info

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.

• Get the PDF!
• More info

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.

• Get the PDF!
• More info

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.

• Get the PDF!
• More info

Scratch tutorials and teaching resources

10-block demos

I've created a collection of short example scripts, including a timer, password script, and circle painter. They are great for experimenting in Code Clubs.

• Get the 10-block demos

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.

• Read the blog

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.

• Get the PDF
• Get the code

How to debug Scratch projects

Read my article from Hello World #13. See also: my Scratch Conference speaker notes, top 5 errors, avoiding race conditions, variables made for one sprite vs for all sprites.

• Get the PDF

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.

• Read the blog

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.

• Get the PDF
• Get the code

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.

• Get the PDF

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.

• Get the PDF
• More info

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.

• View the infographic

Shaun the Sheep football

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

• Read the blog

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.

• Get the PDF
• More info

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

• Get the PDF
• More info

ScratchJr review

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

• Read the article

Scratch Conference 2019 review

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

• Read the article

Play some Scratch games!

Gribbet!

Click the frogs to repeat their sequence in this memory game from Cool Scratch Projects in Easy Steps.

• Play now

Evil Robot (Hangman)

This variant of the popular word game Hangman is from Scratch Programming in Easy Steps. Click to play it on the Scratch website.

• Play now

Space Swarm

This arcade game is from Scratch Programming in Easy Steps. Click to play it on the Scratch website.

• Play now

Christmas Scratch fun

Advent Calendar

My Scratch advent calendar has a different project for each day of advent.

• Visit the advent calendar

Scratch community links

• Find my profile on the Scratch website
• The Scratch website
• Scratch Wiki: a reference guide to Scratch
• ScratchED: a community for educators using Scratch
• Raspberry Pi forums, including one dedicated to Scratch
• Search for free images and sounds you may use in your projects