Community reviews for ScratchJr

I think because coding is very difficult to understand with the age group I was working with, scratch jr really helped to show the basic cause and effect for learners. By no means is this an app to completely take over a coding lesson at a higher level, but for young kids who are interested in learning about the topic and how to code, this is a great start for kids to a head start and learn the basic introduction. I would like to see more inputs that the students themselves can write, it feels a little easy sometimes for them, like matching and doing a puzzle.

My take on it is that I really believe that this program can benefit young children learn a form of coding that helps with problem solving while making it easy for the user to see results of their code in real time. Allowing for students to go back and debug in order to receive the desired outcome. Kids can also modify the code to tell a story and customize the characters in their story.

Good program. Students are able to tell there own stories and use imagination.

Great tool to differentiate and boost student engagement in storytelling. Scratchjr empowers even the youngest of students to develop their 21st century skills using coding and computational thinking (decomposition, pattern recognition, and algorithmic design) to collaborate and communicate while telling a story. This application gives students the power to choose how their story is told and to use code to design and create an original story, or to retell a story they know. Storytelling through code is a language for all learners and allows access to the curriculum in a way that was not possible before the creation of early learning coding apps.

The ingenious jigsaw puzzle style application gives primary students the opportunity to learn the basics of coding in a creative, friendly learning environment. With a limited text interface, it gives the youngest of learners the opportunity to successfully build interactive programming stories by clicking coding blocks to express their creativity. This application can also be successfully navigated for those students who have limited typing skills. Overall this app provides an excellent learning experience where the focus is not on the product itself, but rather the process generated by critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity. I think the only limitation is that is not as powerful as the original Scratch program where the variety of programming blocks is limited in comparison. Advanced students would have a more meaningful experience in the original Scratch.

I think it's a great app to introduce students to coding and further their interest in STEM enriching skills.

This is a very intuitive App that students of all skill levels will learn quickly and can complete teacher assigned activities. But the best thing I have observed with students is how creative they become in creating their own actions and animations. Students can even begin to create their own characters and backgrounds. The activities also will support cooperative learning and students supporting others in completing tasks. Because some students may not be on reading level it would help if the guide section had auditory support and not just text.

Overall this was a great tool with young elementary students. It is enjoyable, easy to use, and teaches basics of coding. The tools in the app are age appropriate and easy for small hands. If you are at all interested in introducing coding to K-2 students, this is the app to use! No issues, glitches, or tears. Kids love it!

Scratch Jr. is a wonderful tool for introducing computer programming to students. I've even used it with 8th grade students to introduce coding and gauging interest levels before starting them on regular Scratch or Codecademy. It can also be used to teach/reinforce sequencing in math or language classes. Scratch Jr. appealed equally to girls and boys and to creative and technical students. I attended a webinar with one of the app's creators and was impressed with the amount of thought and research that went into the app (a web-based version is coming). I anticipate that the app and the support materials will only continue to improve and expand, making Scratch Jr. a viable platform for developing/supporting an elementary coding curriculum.

I love that the interface is easy to use and that there are NUMEROUS available features. The parts of code are organized by color and type (movement, start, end, repeat, etc) which makes it easy for students to go back or adjust. The characters, settings, and objects are all adjustable, which my students love. I also love how easy it is to incorporate with a language arts lesson. Students are learning basic coding skills AND practicing their reading and writing skills. LOVE this app.