ICT is becoming increasingly important in our society and children are also increasingly coming into contact with it. It is not a new idea that children can learn a lot from programming, yet not all children come into contact with this. With Scratch, children can create their own interactive stories, games and animations. It is not difficult, step by step they learn how to create their own games. With Scratch they take the first steps in the world of programming, but in a playful way. Because why couldn’t you learn from making and playing your own games?
Scratch
Scratch was developed in 2003 by the Lifelong Kindergarten group of the MIT Media Lab. The aim of this program is to introduce children to programming in a playful way. Without any experience they can learn the basics of programming with Scratch.
Scratch is meant to be able to assemble games yourself in an easy way. You make your own spirit (the doll you will play with) and you learn how to give commands to your computer to make your spirit and the environment move during certain actions.
Children
Scratch is officially a program for children between eight and sixteen years old. In practice, however, users appear to be between four and eighty years old. There is also a special version for children between five and seven years old.
How do you start?
Scratch is a program that can be played both online and offline. You can log in to the site and use the program in this way, but it is also possible to download Scratch on your computer. Even without an account you can use Scratch, only then you will not have the option to save your created games. To get a good start, you create an account on the website. This is done in no time and it is also free. Then you can get started with the program.
Making a game might be a bit tricky at first. To get you started, several Scratch quest cards are available. You will receive small, clear assignments to practice with the various functions of the program. For example, you will find out how to change the color of your sprite, add music, make movements and keep score. Children can work independently with carrying out the assignments. In this way, they learn step by step how to make their own games.
Games
A new game starts with a white background and a sprite that children can control themselves. Both the background and the sprite are customizable. It is then the task of the children to come up with their own game. They have to decide for themselves what happens when, for example, the right arrow key is pressed. Which direction does the sprite go in then? And how many steps does he take in one go? But other rules of the game can also be determined by the children themselves. For example, what happens when the sprite touches one of the edges of the playing field? How can you score points? And when are you finished?
Computer programming
Real programming language is not used in Scratch, but the basics of programming are incorporated. For example, just like with real programming, the children have to think step by step about what will happen. They give the computer commands and if something is wrong with the command, the execution will not be satisfactory. In addition, the children are introduced to it if and else principle. These words play a major role in programming. In this way the computer knows that if a certain action is performed, it must respond with another action. The words are not used within Scratch if and else, but the principle is the same.
Programming with Scratch is done by means of a programming window in which various commands are included. For example, you can regulate movements, sounds and external changes. In the box with events you can indicate at which action something should be done. For example, you can indicate that you want your sprite to rotate 90 degrees when you press the space bar.
21st century skills
The Scratch program fits perfectly with the skills that children in the 21st century should learn. In education, the term 21st century skills is often referred to to indicate what children growing up in these days should be able to do. Scratch ties in with this because children learn to think creatively, to reason systematically and to work together. These are three essential skills within the 21st century skills.
Scratch in Education
Scratch can therefore be used well in education. It is useful to first introduce the children to the program through the assignment cards. After that, they can independently start making games. Have them work in pairs, working together is an important skill in learning to code. There is no need to come up with entire lessons with Scratch. Self-discovery learning is just so important in programming. Children will grasp the possibilities soon enough and be able to make the most creative games.