🏀 ScratchJr Basketball Shootout: Code Your First Game in 15 Minutes!

Should my child start with Scratch or ScratchJr?

If your child is 5 to 7 or not yet reading confidently, start with ScratchJr, a free tablet app with picture blocks. For kids 8 and up who read comfortably, Scratch, which is free in a web browser, may be a better fit.

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What You'll Need

The Strategy: Short bursts work best with young kids, so treat this as a co-creation sprint. You are the "Project Manager," and they are the "Creative Director."

The App: ScratchJr, free on iPad and Android tablets, and on Chromebooks that can install Android apps from Google Play. There's no web version of ScratchJr. A tablet gives the easiest drag and drop.
The Setup: 15–20 minutes of focused time.
The "Detective" Mindset: Blocks might not snap perfectly, or the cat might walk the wrong way. Celebrate "Debugging" as detective work. Fixing a bug together builds patience and problem-solving. Our critical thinking games include a screen-free round of debugging a broken toy.

Scratch vs. ScratchJr: Which One First?

It's entirely normal to feel unsure when navigating these platforms for the first time. Here's how the two compare:

ScratchJr

The Vibe: Completely icon-based, made for ages 5–7. No reading required.
The Goal: Grasping "Cause and Effect" (e.g., If I touch the cat, the ball hops).
Parent Insight: It’s a tablet-first experience, perfect for little hands and developing fine motor skills.

Scratch

The Vibe: Text-based blocks. Reading is a must.
The Goal: Complex logic, variables, and "if-then" statements. It's the same thinking robotics competition teams use once kids reach FLL and VEX IQ age, around 8 or 9.
Parent Insight: It's free, runs in a web browser and opens the door to game design. If your child is easily overwhelmed by too many options, stick with Jr. for a few more months. When they want a coach, compare Bay Area coding centers.

Parent tip

Want screen-free practice? The Official ScratchJr Book, written by the app's creators, has activities that follow the same block logic. Your library may have it. A screen-free coding robot like Botley 2.0 practices the same sequencing.

How to Do It

Set the scene. Tap the "+" to start a new project, then tap the Background icon (the landscape picture) and pick the basketball court background. Real-world lesson: Ask your child, "Where do we play basketball?" This teaches context: in AI and coding, the "environment" defines the rules.
Add your all-stars. Tap the "+" under the cat to add a character, and scroll until you find the Basketball. Drag the Cat to the far left and the Ball to the center. Tip: Use the "Shrink" block (purple) if the ball looks like a giant boulder!
Code the "trigger" (the Cat). Tap the Cat icon at the bottom and drag these blocks: Start on Green Flag (yellow) ➔ Move Right (blue arrow), then set the number to 10. The lesson: This is linear logic. If A happens, then B follows.
Add the "magic" (the Ball). Tap the Basketball icon. This is the hardest part for kids, so help them find the "Start on Bump" block (the yellow block with two figures touching). The sequence is Start on Bump ➔ Move Up (blue) ➔ Hop (blue). Real-world application: Tell your child, "This is just like Alexa or Siri. They wait for a 'trigger' (Hey Siri) before they move. The ball is waiting for the trigger (the Cat) to touch it!" When they're ready for real AI, a PictoBlox face-detector game uses the same kind of trigger.
Run the Debugging Lab (the "detective" phase). Ball doesn't move? Make sure the Cat actually touches the ball. If not, increase the Cat's "Move Right" number. Ball goes off-screen? Decrease the "Up" number. Debugging is where the real learning happens. Ask: "Why did the ball ignore the cat?"

Parent tip

The "Ethics & Physics" talk: Remind your child: "In ScratchJr, we can make a ball fly or shrink, but in the real world, gravity stays the same." This helps them distinguish between Animation (Storytelling) and Physics (Reality)—a vital distinction as they encounter more AI-generated content.

FAQ

Is ScratchJr free, and what devices does it run on?

Yes, it's free. ScratchJr runs on iPads, Android tablets, Fire tablets and Chromebooks that install Android apps from Google Play (with some limits), plus Macs with an Apple chip. There's no web version. You don't need an account or any coding experience to start. Checked October 2026.

How long does this kids' coding game take to build?

About 15–20 minutes of focused time. Young kids often do best in short bursts, so treat it as a co-creation sprint: you're the Project Manager, they're the Creative Director, and the Debugging Lab can happen in a second session.

Can my child do this coding game if they can't read yet?

Yes. ScratchJr is completely icon-based, so no reading is required, and it's designed for ages 5–7. Kids learn cause and effect by snapping picture blocks together, like "when the cat bumps the ball, the ball hops."

Is ScratchJr still being updated?

It's still available and free in the app stores. The last app update was in late 2023, and the blocks used here haven't changed, so these steps still match.