🐱 Scratch for Kids · Lesson 1 of 7
Getting started: sprite, stage and green flag
Open a project and make the cat move and talk.
The Scratch screen
| Stage | The big area on the right where things happen |
|---|---|
| Sprite | A character or object (the cat is the first one) |
| Blocks | The colored commands on the left, by category |
| Code area | The middle, where you snap blocks together |
| Green flag | Starts the program; the red stop sign stops it |
Your first program
- Go to scratch.mit.edu and click “Create”
- From Events (yellow), drag “when green flag clicked” to the code area
- From Motion (blue), snap “move 10 steps” under it
- From Looks (purple), snap “say Hello! for 2 seconds”
- Click the green flag!
Order matters
Blocks run from top to bottom, one after another. Swap the order and the cat talks first, then moves. That is what programming is: giving the computer exact instructions, in order.
Tip
💡 Click any block to run it right away and see what it does. It’s the fastest way to explore.
✏️ Practice: your turn
- Make the cat move 100 steps and say your name
- Add “turn 15 degrees” and click the flag a few times
- Change “say” to “think” and see the difference
- Save the project as “Catch the Apples”
🧠 Quick quiz
Answer all 4 questions correctly to mark this lesson as done.
0 of 4 correct
All lessons in Scratch for Kids
- 🚩 1. Getting started: sprite, stage and green flagOpen a project and make the cat move and talk
- 🔁 2. Loops: doing things again“repeat” and “forever” — the cat bounces between the walls
- ⌨️ 3. Keyboard controlsMove a sprite with the arrow keys
- 🎵 4. Costumes, backdrops and soundsSimple animation, a stage backdrop and a sound for each action
- 🍎 5. Conditions: “if… then”The apple falls, and if it touches the basket, something happens
- 🔢 6. Variables: score and timeCount apples, and a 30-second timer
- 🏆 7. A complete game, and sharing itFinish up, add a level and share with friends