Blog_Banner_Asset
    Homebreadcumb forward arrow iconBlogbreadcumb forward arrow iconSoftware Developmentbreadcumb forward arrow iconBest Scratch Projects and Topics

Best Scratch Projects and Topics

Last updated:
5th Nov, 2021
Views
Read Time
9 Mins
share image icon
In this article
Chevron in toc
View All
Best Scratch Projects and Topics

Scratch is a visual programming language used as an educational tool for coding. Developed by the MIT Media Lab, it boasts of more than 82 million projects shared by 74 million users. Scratch’s block-based interface allows schools, colleges, and other knowledge institutions to impart technical training in mixed media, paving the way for creative student projects like video games, simulations, and animations. 

In this blog, we will explore some interesting examples of Scratch projects. So read on to get inspired and find some innovative ideas to try for your next round of programming practice! 

Check out our free courses to get an edge over the competition.

Explore our Popular Software Engineering Courses

How to Get Started on Scratch?

If you don’t have any prior experience with scratch programming, follow these simple steps to begin your learning journey. 

Ads of upGrad blog
  • Open a web browser and open the official Scratch website.
  • Create a user ID and sign in to your account.
  • Click on “Create” on the top left.
  • Start a new project and explore different parts of the interface.
  • Experiment with varying blocks of Scratch to observe what happens.
  • Drag and drop blocks into the scripting area. 
  • Implement a full-fledged project to master the language. 

Check out upGrad’s Advanced Certification in DevOps

Learn Software Development Courses online from the World’s top Universities. Earn Executive PG Programs, Advanced Certificate Programs or Masters Programs to fast-track your career.

13 Scratch Projects You Must Try

1. Dance Party

This project lets you curate your dance party. Pick from different options, add sprites (images created in Scratch), and have fun with the interface. You can also view others’ creations, learn from the samples, and remix your own version. 

Greeting Card

This is another animation project where you get to remix a greeting card and send it to someone. You can edit your card for different occasions, change pictures as per the theme, and place animated graphics inside the card. It is an enjoyable activity that combines computational thinking with visual creativity. And even if you are not hard-pressed on learning drag-and-drop coding, you have a go at this project to refresh your mind! 

3. Maze Starter

Scratch projects are a favourite among gamers and programming enthusiasts who want to enter the gaming world. Maze Starter is a sample game where you move a ball to reach the goal using the arrow keys on your keyboard. You can customize the course by adding more obstacles and constructing new levels. It also includes the functionality for score-keeping: you collect rewards for choosing the correct path, subtract points for hitting walls, and so on. 

Check out upGrad’s Advanced Certification in Blockchain

4. Hide and Seek

This project is centered around a character named Gobo. You have to click on the graphic to score points. You can add a timer or change what happens upon catching Gobo. Another way to remix the project is to make more sprites similar to Gobo. Players will have to catch all the characters to win the game. To increase the difficulty level further, you can shorten the length of time for which your characters appear on the screen. 

5. SoundFlower

Picture a flower on a screen that dances when you sing to it – that is SoundFlower. It is an interactive art project made on Scratch that requires microphone permission to showcase its magic. Go for this one if you want to explore the intersections of music with visuals. Check out other remixes to draw insights and progress to complex projects as you gain confidence with the language and features.

6. Spiral Maker

As the name suggests, this open-source project is about drawing spirals with a pen. Users click their mouse to perform the tasks. The project instructions also mention some remix tips, such as changing the width of the pen, making spirals of different sizes, altering the pen color, and drawing new shapes. 

7. Piano

Imagine pressing your mousepad to play the notes of a piano and then bring the idea alive with Scratch. With the Piano music project, you get to add higher and lower notes and create keyboard shortcuts, using which users can execute varied melodies and songs. In addition, you can change the appearance of your piano and even undertake a unique variation with another instrument.

8. DJ Scratch Cat

DJ Scratch Cat is another music-based project that lets you mix sounds and graphics. As per the instructions on the Scratch website, you press V, B, N, or Z, X, C to play with sounds. You can explore new tunes and keys or place another DJ inside the setup instead of Scratch Cat. 

9. Teens at the Castle

If you want to make an interactive storyboard or comic script, you can test the Teens at the Castle project on Scratch. It features a conversation between two characters who discover a castle in the woods. All you have to do is click on the arrow to switch scenes. You can add to the plot, title screens, sound effects, and record voices to accentuate the story as a programmer. 

10. Virtual Tour

This project is perfect for introductions and induction training. You can design a virtual tour of your university or office space, highlighting your favourite places in an attractive slideshow. For example, the Scratch Team at MIT has put together scenes from their actual workspace to facilitate an immersive experience. You can replace the slides with other images or showcase your artwork in your remixed version. 

11. Bubbles with Video

The Bubbles project applies the video sensing technique and thus, requires a webcam to operate. Users can pop the bubbles and watch them float. Scratch coders get to animate where the bubbles come from, when the pop happens, and keep track of all activities. It is recommended to opt for the Bubbles 2.0 project and compose renditions once you brush up on the basics. 

12. Pizza Chef

Pizza Chef demonstrates the video sensing capabilities of Scratch. When players push their hands or head, the web camera detects the movement to keep the pizza in the air. The project enables you to practice block-based coding through diverse remixes. You can change how the dough would look, customize the number of flips of the pizza, add other floating objects in the air, or build a different version without the webcam requirement. 

13. Animate the Crab

In this project, you attempt basic animation by changing the expression of the crab. Furthermore, you can discover endless possibilities, adding more characters, placing the crab in a dance party, inserting it to a storyboard, and so on. 

Explore Our Software Development Free Courses

upGrad’s Exclusive Software Development Webinar for you –

SAAS Business – What is So Different?

 

Other Scratch Project Topics

If you want to gain familiarity with the features before implementing a project, go through the Activity Guide access tutorials, download coding cards, and browse the educator guides. Here are some tasks begin with:

  • Animate the letters of a word or your name.
  • Choose sounds and instruments, and play music by pressing keys.
  • Depict a story with characters and conversation.
  • Choose a character, make it fly, or perform other tasks with animation.
  • Build a basic game with audio, effects, and points. 
  • Interact with any project using video and sensing extensions.

Beginners can also attempt the following Scratch projects to hone their coding and artistic skills. 

  • The Pico Show (Animation)
  • Pong Starter (Game)
  • Wizard Spell (Interactive Art)
  • Paint with Gobo (Interactive Art)
  • Starfish Choir (Music)
  • Remix this Dance! (Dance)
  • 5 Random Facts About Me (Stories)
  • Teens at the Castle (Stories)
  • Musical Buttons (Video Sensing)
  • Save the Mini Flags (Video Sensing)
Ads of upGrad blog

You can find more details about these project topics on the Scratch website

In-Demand Software Development Skills

Summing Up

Scratch can help you program interactive stories, games, and animations. You can then share your creations with others and improve your projects, seeking suggestions from an active online community. It is an excellent tool to build 21st-century skills, such as systematic thinking, creativity, and collaboration. The best way to gain these industry-relevant skills is to take up a professional course such as upGrad’s Master of Science in Computer Science course, in collaboration with LJMU. 

So, what are you waiting for? Enroll in a professional course and use the Scratch projects given above to venture into the world of coding now! 

Read our Popular Articles related to Software Development

Profile

Pavan Vadapalli

Blog Author
Director of Engineering @ upGrad. Motivated to leverage technology to solve problems. Seasoned leader for startups and fast moving orgs. Working on solving problems of scale and long term technology strategy.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1What is Scratch?

Scratch is a visual programming language used by schools, colleges, and other educational institutions for beginner-level coding practice. Students can use the block-like interface for different types of projects.

2What is Scratch used for?

Scratch is used for creating projects involving animations, games, music, and interactive stories. It can be beneficial for personal and academic purposes, helping novice coders learn from an online community and also share resources.

3What kind of projects can you implement with Scratch?

The official website of Scratch lists several easy-to-implement starter projects. From art and music to games and animations, there is something for every curricular area. With more exposure and regular practice, you can bring an original idea to life and gain a global audience for your work.

4What is Scratch and how does it work?

Scratch is a programming language tool that helps students approach problem-solving, computational thinking, and creative learning in a fun and visually engaging way. Its intuitive block-based drag-and-drop interface allows children as young as 8 to create small animations, games and so much more. The scratch window has three partitions – a stage, a block palette, and a coding area. The code blocks are dragged from the palette and assembled in the coding area. The final result is visible in the stage area. Scratch’s versatile nature and clean layout have made it highly popular as an educational tool. Scratch currently has over 38 million monthly visitors and is accessible in 70 different languages.

5What are some of the primary applications of Scratch?

Scratch is primarily used by teachers and students as an educational tool. While it is designed keeping in mind the needs and preferences of children between the ages of 8 and 16, it is used by people of all ages. It can also be used to control other external projects such as LEGO Mindstorm kits and BBC Micro:bit. Scratch is a very high-level language, which means the intricacies of the actual functioning of the machine are not visible to the programmer. However, this simplifies the process and allows us to write code for advanced projects such as moving robots, musical instruments, text-speech translation, etc., without having in-depth knowledge, as long as we have a clear idea of the intended functionality.

6Why is it beneficial to learn Scratch programming?

Scratch’s diverse set of tools, effects, and coding blocks makes it possible to create a variety of projects, from mazes to piano games. It’s also extremely popular among coders in their nascent stages of programming. Thus, it has a flourishing community of users who constantly exchange ideas by sharing, commenting, tagging, and saving projects. Another main benefit of Scratch is that it allows the user to obtain exciting results relatively easily, thus encouraging them and giving them the incentive to explore coding further. Also, Scratch is 100% free to use and there are no plans to monetize it.

Explore Free Courses

Suggested Tutorials

View All

Suggested Blogs

Best Jobs in IT without coding
134278
If you are someone who dreams of getting into the IT industry but doesn’t have a passion for learning programming, then it’s OKAY! Let me
Read More

by Sriram

12 Apr 2024

Scrum Master Salary in India: For Freshers & Experienced [2023]
900305
Wondering what is the range of Scrum Master salary in India? Have you ever watched a game of rugby? Whether your answer is a yes or a no, you might h
Read More

by Rohan Vats

05 Mar 2024

SDE Developer Salary in India: For Freshers & Experienced [2024]
905072
A Software Development Engineer (SDE) is responsible for creating cross-platform applications and software systems, applying the principles of compute
Read More

by Rohan Vats

05 Mar 2024

System Calls in OS: Different types explained
5021
Ever wondered how your computer knows to save a file or display a webpage when you click a button? All thanks to system calls – the secret messengers
Read More

by Prateek Singh

29 Feb 2024

Marquee Tag & Attributes in HTML: Features, Uses, Examples
5134
In my journey as a web developer, one HTML element that has consistently sparked both curiosity and creativity is the venerable Marquee tag. As I delv
Read More

by venkatesh Rajanala

29 Feb 2024

What is Coding? Uses of Coding for Software Engineer in 2024
5054
Introduction  The word “coding” has moved beyond its technical definition in today’s digital age and is now considered an essential ability in
Read More

by Harish K

29 Feb 2024

Functions of Operating System: Features, Uses, Types
5132
The operating system (OS) stands as a crucial component that facilitates the interaction between software and hardware in computer systems. It serves
Read More

by Geetika Mathur

29 Feb 2024

What is Information Technology? Definition and Examples
5059
Information technology includes every digital action that happens within an organization. Everything from running software on your system and organizi
Read More

by spandita hati

29 Feb 2024

50 Networking Interview Questions & Answers (Freshers & Experienced)
5138
In the vast landscape of technology, computer networks serve as the vital infrastructure that underpins modern connectivity.  Understanding the core p
Read More

by Harish K

29 Feb 2024

Schedule 1:1 free counsellingTalk to Career Expert
icon
footer sticky close icon