What is Scratch? A block programming guide

Scratch is a visual block-based programming language created by the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Media Lab, used to teach logic and computational thinking to beginners. Instead of typing code, you drag and snap blocks together to build games, animations and stories.

• What is Scratch?
• Why use Scratch to learn programming?
• How to start programming in Scratch?
• Scratch or Python: where to start?
• What projects can I create in Scratch?
• Is Scratch still worth it in 2026?

What is Scratch?

Scratch is a visual programming language where commands are blocks that fit together like puzzle pieces. It was developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab and is now maintained by the Scratch Foundation. Each block represents an instruction — move, wait, repeat, make a decision — and the program is born from the combination of these blocks.

The big differentiator is removing the syntax barrier. In textual languages, a forgotten semicolon breaks the program; in Scratch, incompatible blocks simply do not fit. This keeps the focus on what really matters for beginners: the logic behind the solution, including the use of variables, loops and conditionals.

The current version, Scratch 3.0, was released on January 2, 2019 and is accessible directly through the browser, with no installation. It runs on HTML5 and works well even on modest computers, which broadened the tool's reach in schools worldwide.

Why use Scratch to learn programming?

Scratch is the world's most popular gateway to programming precisely because it combines a low barrier to entry with real computing concepts. It teaches you to think like a programmer before requiring you to write a single line of text. See the main reasons:

• Visual interface: eliminates syntax errors and lets beginners experiment freely without getting stuck on typing details.
• Free and in the browser: it costs nothing and requires no installation, which makes it easy to use in classrooms and shared computers.
• Computational thinking: develops problem decomposition, logical sequencing and debugging — transferable skills for any language.
• Global community: allows you to publish, remix and receive feedback from millions of creators, turning learning into something social and motivating.

This focus on logic before syntax speaks directly to the fundamentals of programming logic, which underpin any career in technology. It is no wonder that Scratch appears in school curricula and in teaching initiatives like CodeCrush's.

How to start programming in Scratch?

Getting started with Scratch takes a few minutes and requires no sign-up for the first test. Follow these steps to create your first project from scratch:

1. Go to scratch.mit.edu and click "Create" to open the block editor in the browser.
2. Get to know the three areas of the screen: the block palette on the left, the scripts area in the center and the stage (where the project runs) on the right.
3. Drag an event block, such as "when the green flag is clicked", into the scripts area — it will be the program's trigger.
4. Snap motion and appearance blocks below the event to animate the character, called a sprite.
5. Click the green flag to test the result and adjust the blocks until the behavior is how you want it.
6. Save and click "Share" to publish the project in the community and receive feedback from other creators.

From there, explore control blocks (loops and conditionals) and variables to build more complete games. The practice of assembling, testing and fixing is exactly the debugging cycle you will use in any language later.

Scratch or Python: where to start?

For someone with zero experience, Scratch is the best first step, and Python is usually the natural transition next. Scratch teaches logic in a tactile and visual way; Python introduces the textual syntax used in the market. The table below summarizes the differences:

In short: use Scratch to understand loops, conditionals and events without friction, and migrate to Python when you want to build market-ready projects. The concepts are not lost — they just change clothes.

What projects can I create in Scratch?

In Scratch you can create games, animations, interactive stories, simulations and generative art. The platform includes an image editor, sound library and sensors (keyboard, mouse and even webcam), which opens room for surprisingly complete projects. See three examples published by the community:

1. Super Mario Game: a reimagining of Nintendo's classic platformer, with levels, jump physics and collisions — all built only with blocks.

2. Soccer Platformer: a soccer game where the player dribbles, shoots and scores goals, showing sprite control and scoreboards with variables.

3. Appel Let's Play: a puzzle adventure with chained challenges, ideal for studying level logic and win conditions.

Exploring and remixing other people's projects is one of the most effective ways to learn in Scratch: you open the block code, understand how it was made and adapt it to your taste.

Is Scratch still worth it in 2026?

Yes, Scratch remains extremely relevant and is one of the most used educational platforms on the planet. According to the official Scratch statistics, the community has already surpassed 100 million registered users and 123 million shared projects, and the site reached its one billionth project created on April 12, 2024.

Relevance also shows up outside of school. In the TIOBE index, which measures the popularity of programming languages, Scratch entered the top 20 in April 2020 and even came close to the top 10 in 2024 — a remarkable performance for a teaching language. TIOBE itself records that about one million new Scratch projects are created every month.

In addition, Scratch has been translated into more than 70 languages, which makes it globally accessible. For anyone trying to decide whether it is worth studying programming, Scratch is the cheapest and lowest-risk way to find out whether the field suits you before investing in courses or more complex languages.

Conclusion

If you want to learn to program and do not know where to start, start with Scratch — not because it is "for children", but because it is the most efficient way to train computational thinking without stumbling over syntax. Build a few games, break and fix the logic a few times, and when the blocks feel too small for your ideas, take the next step toward a textual language like Python. The foundation Scratch builds remains valuable in any development career.