Scratch uses the motto “A programming language for kids of all ages.”
Scratch was developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab, led by Mitchel Resnick. It was designed to help children create interactive stories, games, and animations without having to type traditional source code. Instead, users connect colorful blocks that fit together grammatically.
The first public version of Scratch launched in 2007. Its online community lets users share projects, remix others’ work, and see the scripts behind creations. This social design makes Scratch both a programming environment and an educational platform.
Scratch is often confused with Blockly, another block-based programming framework. Scratch is a complete programming language and community platform, while Blockly is a library that developers can use to build block-based editors. Scratch’s mascot is a cat, and its block categories include Motion, Looks, Sound, Events, Control, and Variables.