Parent Guides

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ScratchJr for Kids Aged 5 to 7: How to Use the App at Home, a Parent's Guide

Published: 20.10.2026·Updated: 20.10.2026

Carolina Méndez

Parent Guides Team, Algonova

ScratchJr for Kids Aged 5 to 7: How to Use the App at Home, a Parent's Guide

ScratchJr for kids aged 5 to 7 is a free app from the MIT Media Lab and Tufts DevTech group where children build stories and games by snapping together picture blocks, with no reading needed. At home it runs on a tablet (iPad, Android or Chromebook), in 15 to 25 minute sessions with an adult beside the child. Below you get the setup steps, 5 projects and the path to Scratch and Python.

What ScratchJr is and which age it fits

ScratchJr is a free visual programming app for children aged 5 to 7. It was designed by Mitchel Resnick at the MIT Media Lab and Marina Bers, who leads the DevTech group (started at Tufts University, now at Boston College), together with Playful Invention Company. It launched in July 2014 for iPad and is now maintained by the Scratch Foundation, which offers it on iPad, Android tablets, Amazon devices and Chromebook.

A child does not type code. They drag colored blocks with pictures on them, join them left to right like words, and watch a character walk, jump or talk. The MIT Media Lab project page describes it as a first programming language for children who do not yet read fluently.

Before anyone writes code, they have to learn to put ideas in order, and that is what a child practices in ScratchJr.

Do not mix it up with Scratch, which is for ages 8 to 13 and up and does require reading. If your child already reads well and is 8 or older, start with our guide to what Scratch is instead. There is also no official web version of ScratchJr. Sites advertising "scratch junior online" are unofficial copies, so install the app from your device's store.

How to start with the ScratchJr app at home

Setup takes about 15 minutes and you need no coding background. These are the 6 steps for the first session:

Install the official app. Search for "ScratchJr" in the App Store, Google Play or Amazon Appstore and check that the developer is the Scratch Foundation. On a Chromebook, install it from Google Play.
Sit next to your child and keep your hands off the screen. The child holds the tablet and you ask questions. A new project opens with the orange cat already on stage.
Build a 3-block program. From the yellow group take "start on green flag", from the blue group "move right", from the purple group "say". Tap the flag and the cat walks and talks.
Change one detail. Raise the steps from 4 to 8 or type a different sentence. Ask what changed and why.
Save it and name it. The app asks for a project name. Let the child type or dictate it.
Ask your child to tell you about it. A sentence like "first the cat walks, then it talks" is already an explanation of a program.

Blocks come in color families: yellow for events that start the action, blue for movement, purple for looks, green for sound, orange for timing control and red for endings and repeats. Those six colors cover nearly everything a 5 to 7 year old builds.

5 ScratchJr projects for the first week

First ScratchJr projects take 10 to 25 minutes and finish in a single sitting. They run from easiest to longest:

#	Project	New blocks	Time	What it practices
1	The dancing cat	move, turn, hop	10 min	sequence
2	My voice says hello	record sound, say	15 min	sound and text
3	The chase	start on bump, move	20 min	events
4

Common parent mistakes with ScratchJr

The mistakes show up in how adults help, rarely in the technology. These five come up almost every time:

Grabbing the tablet to "fix it". Children learn when they get it wrong and try something else. Ask "what do you think happened?" instead.
Expecting a perfect project. At age 5, a cat that jumps three times is a complete program.
One-hour sessions. After 25 minutes children repeat blocks without thinking.
Installing lookalike apps. Some similar apps come from other developers and carry ads. Check that the developer is the Scratch Foundation.
Jumping to Scratch too early. Being able to move a character does not mean a child can read the words on Scratch blocks.

From ScratchJr to Scratch and Python by age

The path runs from ScratchJr to Scratch and then to Python, and each jump depends more on reading than on exact age. According to the Scratch Foundation, ScratchJr is for ages 5 to 7 and Scratch for ages 8 to 13 and up. This table shows how the rest fits:

Age	Tool	What the child does	Requirement
5 to 7	ScratchJr	stories and games with picture blocks	no reading needed
8 to 9	Scratch	games and animations with text blocks	reads fluently
10 to 11	Roblox Studio with Lua	3D games	types short lines

Summary

ScratchJr is a free app for children aged 5 to 7 that needs no reading.
Start with a 3-block program, sitting beside your child without touching the screen.
Sessions of 15 to 25 minutes, 3 to 4 times a week, always ending with a saved project.
Install only the official app and skip "ScratchJr online" sites you do not know.
Scratch comes next around age 8, and Python later.

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ScratchJr for kids: frequently asked questions

Is the ScratchJr app free, and does it work offline?

Yes, ScratchJr is free in the official app stores and runs without a connection once installed. You only need internet to download and update it. The app does not ask you to create an account to begin, and it keeps projects on the device itself, which makes it handy for trips or waiting rooms. If you switch tablets, projects do not move on their own, so it helps to stay on the same one. A child can build the dancing cat in the car with the tablet in airplane mode. Similar apps from other companies exist, with ads or in-app purchases, and that is where charges can appear. If your child uses the family tablet, download the app before leaving home and open the cat once to confirm it loads. That way you avoid finding out on the road that an update is missing.

Can I use ScratchJr online on a computer?

There is no official web version of ScratchJr. The official app is built for iPad, Android and Amazon tablets, and for Chromebook through Google Play. Sites offering "scratch junior online" or "scratchjr web" are usually unofficial copies, sometimes with ads or missing features. If your family has no tablet, the sensible options are a Chromebook with Google Play or an Android phone with a large screen. For a Windows or Mac computer, the official equivalent is Scratch, which runs in the browser, though it requires reading and is meant for ages 8 and up. For a 5 or 6 year old, a simple tablet beats forcing a computer. If you search for a PC version because you only have a laptop at home, ask your child's school: some classrooms keep tablets or Chromebooks and use ScratchJr in class, where your child can practice too.

What age is ScratchJr for?

ScratchJr is designed for children aged 5 to 7, according to the Scratch Foundation, and a slightly younger child can try it with company. At 4, some children enjoy moving the cat but cannot hold a sequence of 3 blocks, and that is fine. From 5 they understand that order matters: first it walks, then it jumps. At 7 a project often has two scenes and messages between characters. After 8, most children need a bigger challenge and Scratch becomes the natural choice. A 5 year old might spend 10 minutes with the cat and stop; at 7 the same child can spend 25 minutes building a story with three characters and a background they drew. So the calendar age matters less than the signal your child gives: if they follow the sequence and ask for more, they are ready for the next project in the table.

Can my 5-year-old use ScratchJr if they cannot read yet?

Yes, ScratchJr was built for children who do not read yet: blocks use pictures and colors, not words. To start, your child only has to recognize the movement arrows, the color of each group and the green flag. Text appears only in the "say" block, where an adult can help type a sentence or the child can record a voice. A 5 year old can order three blocks, tap the flag and watch the cat move and jump without reading a single word. What does help is counting to 10 and having enough coordination to drag with a finger. If it is hard, do not push: wait a few weeks and come back with 10 minute sessions. In the meantime, a game of giving spoken instructions ("walk three steps and jump") prepares the ground for the first project on the tablet.

Is ScratchJr safe for kids?

ScratchJr is a Scratch Foundation app with no chat and no social network, so there are no strangers messaging your child. It works without an account and stores projects on the device. The App Store listing says some usage data may be collected and is not linked to the user's identity, and the full privacy policy is on scratchjr.org; it is worth reading once. The real risk is installing an unofficial copy, so check that the developer is the Scratch Foundation and be wary of apps with ads. It also helps to set up the tablet with a child profile and your system's parental controls, so your child cannot leave the app without you noticing. If your child later moves to online Scratch, review the community and comments together, because that platform has public profiles and shared projects.

What is the difference between ScratchJr and Scratch?

ScratchJr uses picture blocks for ages 5 to 7, and Scratch uses text blocks for ages 8 and up. ScratchJr has fewer blocks, a simpler screen and runs only on tablets. Scratch has more categories, variables, clones and a community for sharing projects, and it runs in a browser or on a computer. In ScratchJr blocks join left to right, and in Scratch from top to bottom. In ScratchJr your child makes the cat jump when it bumps into a dog; in Scratch they can also keep a score that goes up each time. What they learned in one carries over to the other. When your child moves from one to the other, they will notice that the icons are gone and words appear, and that is usually the hardest part of the first few weeks.

When should my child move from ScratchJr to Scratch?

The moment usually arrives between ages 7 and 8, when the child reads fluently and has mastered sequences, events and repeats in ScratchJr. A clear sign is that they finish ScratchJr projects without help and ask for things the app cannot do, such as a score or a game with rules. Another is that they read short texts well and understand phrases like "when the flag is clicked". If they move to Scratch and get frustrated, it is not a failure: go back to ScratchJr for a few weeks and try again later. A 7 year old might try a name animation in Scratch on Thursday and return to ScratchJr on Sunday for a story with two scenes. If you are unsure, try this: ask your child to read three blocks from a Scratch tutorial aloud and say what each does. If they manage without help, they can give it a go.

How much time a day should my child spend on ScratchJr?

Between 15 and 25 minutes per session, 3 or 4 times a week, is a practical guideline for children aged 5 to 7. It is not an official limit, just the length at which a child this age holds attention without repeating blocks at random. At 5 stay at 10 to 15 minutes, and at 7 you can go up to 30. What counts more is the ending: save the project and talk about what they made. A 6 year old who plays 20 minutes on Saturday and 15 on Wednesday finishes two projects a month, more than a child who spends an hour once and finishes nothing. If your child asks for more time, offer to draw the next scene on paper and pick it up tomorrow. Write each finished project's name in a notebook: seeing the list grow motivates more than any reminder.

Does ScratchJr replace a coding class?

No, ScratchJr is a starting point at home, not a curriculum with a teacher, goals per class and feedback on progress. The app lets your child explore at their own pace, which helps them feel unafraid of technology. What it does not provide is a path of graded challenges or someone who notices your child repeating the same project. A class with a teacher adds that guidance and classmates of a similar age. If your child is 6 or 7 and already enjoys ScratchJr, the free 60-minute online class at Algonova lets you see how they work with a teacher, in groups of up to 10 children, with no card and no commitment. You do not have to choose between the two: many families keep ScratchJr as weekend free play and use class time to learn new techniques.

ScratchJr for Kids Aged 5 to 7: How to Use the App at Home, a Parent's Guide

What ScratchJr is and which age it fits

How to start with the ScratchJr app at home

5 ScratchJr projects for the first week

Common parent mistakes with ScratchJr

From ScratchJr to Scratch and Python by age

Summary

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5 ScratchJr projects for the first week

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How many minutes a day on ScratchJr

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ScratchJr for kids: frequently asked questions

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