The colorful world of Scratch coding has never been more exciting, especially with a plethora of books available that cater to every young coder's unique learning style. While live online classes provide real-time interaction and immediate feedback, the best Scratch coding books serve as an indispensable companion, allowing kids to learn at their own pace, revisit challenging concepts, and deepen their understanding. There's even a book written by the creator of Scratch himself: Let's take a look!
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Explore the Best Scratch Coding Books
From visual step-by-step guides that unravel the mysteries of game creation to comprehensive themed-tutorials that tap into popular kids' culture, Scratch coding books offer a rich tapestry of knowledge. Here are some great books for students ages 6-12 to enjoy as they learn coding.
1. "Coding Games in Scratch: A Step-by-Step Visual Guide to Building Your Own Computer Games" by Jon Woodcock
Age Group: 8-12 year olds
Using visual guides, this book assists kids in creating their own computer games. It covers various game types, ensuring there's something for every budding code including single and multiplayer platform games, thrilling racing challenges, zany platform games, and fiendish puzzles. Follow the simple steps to become an expert coder using the latest version of the popular programming language Scratch 3.0 in this new edition.
2. "The Official ScratchJr Book: Help Your Kids Learn to Code" by Marina Umaschi Bers and Mitchel Resnick
Age Group: 5-7 years year olds
Written by the creator of Scratch and a professor in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, this book is aimed at younger kids and focuses on ScratchJr, a version of Scratch designed for younger children. It provides a foundation in coding principles while keeping things light and fun. Kids will learn to program by connecting blocks of code to make characters move, jump, dance, and sing. It includes step-by-step, easy-to-follow directions, and ways to connect activities with literacy and math concepts.
Join an online ScratchJr coding class to build interactive stories and games led live by an expert (for grades K-2).
3. DK Workbooks: Computer Coding with Scratch 3.0 Workbook by Craig Steele
Age Group: 6-9 year olds
Great for intermediate Scratchers, this playful hands-on 40-page workbook teaches kids how to code games and projects using Scratch 3.0. The examples are well laid out and simple to follow. It's the perfect coding book for enthusiasts who want to find out how to use all the exciting new features, such as new types of blocks and sound effects, of Scratch 3.0. You can even play the games you create on smart phones.
4. Coding for Kids in Scratch 3: The Complete Guide to Creating Art, Artificial Intelligence, and Computer Games for Beginners By Raj Sinhu
Age Group: 8-12 year olds
This beautifully illustrated, hilariously written, and delightfully engaging step-by-step guide is designed for kids (ages 8+) to learn the fundamentals of coding and apply them to amazingly innovative projects. Readers will learn to use the incredible new features of Scratch 3 to build projects that not only teach them to code, but also inspire them to pursue today's most exciting frontiers of technology: Artificial Intelligence; Video Game Bots; Multiplayer Computer Games; and more. The lessons build on top of each other with a great flow and there are many examples further explaining why concepts are important.
5. Star Wars Coding Projects: A Step-by-Step Visual Guide to Coding Your Own Animations, Games, Simulations by Jon Woodcock
Age Group: 8-12 year olds
Does your child love Star Wars? This fun book will help them learn coding guided by their favorite Star Wars characters. First they'll learn how to draw their own Star Wars inspired sprites to use in the projects with simple, numbered steps that are fully illustrated and easy to follow. Next they'll make all sorts of projects to navigate the spaceship they've designed through an asteroid belt as they go on the jetpack adventures.
Enjoy the Best Scratch Coding Books for Kids
Equipping your student with coding skills sets them up for a future where they're not just consumers of technology, but also creators and innovators. Scratch coding books offer a wonderful complement to live online classes, as they help kids practice and apply what they've learned while make coding engaging, visual, and most importantly, fun! These books, tailored for young minds, transform abstract coding concepts into tangible projects and games. Embracing Scratch today means paving the way for a brighter, tech-savvy tomorrow, as your student will develop their logical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Join Scratch Coding Classes - Start Free
Live classes offer some of the most compelling benefits for learning such as supportive help, interactivity, accurate and updated curriculum, and thoughtful learning paths that set students up for success.
Learning quickly and accurately in live online classes and camps will best equip your student to gain valuable computer science skills. Start with our popular beginner-friendly Scratch coding classes:
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