Embarking on the journey of coding can be a thrilling adventure for young minds, and what better way to start than with ScratchJr, an intuitive, kid-friendly platform? In our exploration of the best ScratchJr books for kids, we delve into a world where vibrant pages turn complex coding concepts into child's play. Explore a number of interactive workbooks, each uniquely crafted to captivate and educate!
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Enjoy ScratchJr Books for Kids
For budding programmers, these books are more than just learning tools; they are gateways to creativity, offering step-by-step guidance in a format that children can easily grasp and enjoy. Starting with ScratchJr not only lays a solid foundation in the basics of coding but also nurtures problem-solving skills and digital confidence from an early age.
1. The Official ScratchJr Book: Help Your Kids Learn to Code by Marina Umaschi Bers and Mitchel Resnick
This is the most popular ScratchJr book and was published back in 2015 - so the one drawback is it's a bit outdated. But if your child (ages 5-7) has just downloaded the free app, this book is the perfect companion, as one of the authors is a Professor of Learning Research at the MIT Media Lab (which designed the app). Through step-by-step activities, kids learn to program by connecting blocks of code to make characters move, jump, dance, and sing. The book breaks the steps down so that kids are immediately making something, which is fantastic in keeping their interest.
Each chapter includes several activities that build on one another, culminating in a fun final project. These hands-on activities help kids develop computational-thinking, problem-solving, and design skills. In each activity, you’ll find: ways to connect the activity with literacy and math concepts, tips for grown-ups and teachers, and even creative challenges to take the learning further.
2. Coding with ScratchJr (Ready, Set, Code!) by Álvaro Scrivano
Published in 2019 by Lerner Publishing Group, Coding with ScratchJr is another entry level alternative book. With easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions kids can land on the moon, travel deep under the sea, take a trip to a magical world, and play a game of basketball.
There are different challenges kids can choose to really test their coding skills and handy troubleshooting hints to help if they need them. And the self-directed projects and activities help them learn the basics of coding.
3. Making Games with ScratchJr by Dr. Tracy Gardner and Elbrie de Kock
This book is 32 pages of fun. When asked what they want to do when they grow up, many young people say they want to make video games. However, very few ever get the chance to pursue that career path. This guide to making games with the free app ScratchJr is sure to help young readers become coders, a big step on the way to achieving their dreams. Clear, colorful activities with detailed instructions will get readers making simple games in no time. The author duo also has other books in the series including Art and Photos with ScratchJr, Animation an Stories with ScratchJr, and Speech and Sounds with ScratchJr.
4. ScratchJr Coding Cards
While not a book, these coding cards contain more activities for kids to try, and complement The Official ScratchJr Book pretty well as a next step. You'll get 75 cards with step-by-step instructions for using ScratchJr to create interactive stories, animations, and games. The deck includes exercises that are fun and increasingly challenging. And the cards provide just enough instruction while still allowing for creative thinking and problem solving practice.
Get ScratchJr Books for Kids
Integrating books as a learning tool alongside the free ScratchJr app makes for an enriching, enjoyable coding experience. The support and structured learning path provided by live online classes is also beneficial, so check out our Scratch Junior class to learn from and get all your student's questions answered by an expert anytime, anywhere. Up next, find more coding inspiration in fun ScratchJr project ideas.
