ScratchJr is an introductory programming language that enables young children (ages 5-7) to create their own interactive stories and games. Children snap together graphical programming blocks to make characters move, jump, dance, and sing. Children can modify characters in the paint editor, add their own voices and sounds, even insert photos of themselves -- then use the programming blocks to make their characters come to life.

ScratchJr was inspired by the popular Scratch programming language (scratch.mit.edu), used by millions of young people (ages 8 and up) around the world. In creating ScratchJr, we redesigned the interface and programming language to make them developmentally appropriate for younger children, carefully designing features to match young children's cognitive, personal, social, and emotional development.

ScratchJr is available as a free app for iPads, Android tablets, and Chromebooks. For more information about ScratchJr, see scratchjr.org.

Coding (or computer programming) is a new type of literacy. Just as writing helps you organize your thinking and express your ideas, the same is true for coding. In the past, coding was seen as too difficult for most people. But we think coding should be for everyone, just like writing.

As young children code with ScratchJr, they learn how to create and express themselves with the computer, not just to interact with it. In the process, children learn to solve problems and design projects, and they develop sequencing skills that are foundational for later academic success. They also use math and language in a meaningful and motivating context, supporting the development of early-childhood numeracy and literacy. With ScratchJr, children aren't just learning to code, they are coding to learn.

ScratchJr was developed by the Developmental Technologies (DevTech) Research Group at the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Developmentat Tufts University(led by Marina Umaschi Bers, with contributions from Amanda Strawhacker, Claire Caine, Louise Flannery, Elizabeth Kazakoff and Dylan Portelance), the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab (led by Mitchel Resnick, with contributions from Chris Garrity, Tim Mickel, Carl Bowman, Champika Fernando, Natalie Rusk, Sayamindu Dasgupta, and Chris Graves), and the Playful Invention Company (led by Paula Bontá and Brian Silverman, with contributions from Jack Geddes and Adrian Gabriel). The Android version of ScratchJr was implemented by Two Sigma (led by Mark Roth, with contributions from Kevin Hu), with input from Benesse Corp.

The graphics and illustrations for ScratchJr were created by HvingtQuatre Company (led by Julien Gelifier and Adrien Valesa), Sarah Thomson, Peter Mueller, and Jillian Lombardi. Paula Aguilera of the MIT Media Lab produced the ScratchJr video. We would also like to thank everyone who participated in the beta-test communities for iPad and Android, particularly Sergio Antolinez, Vandendaele Didier, and Sjoerd Dirk Meijer.

ScratchJr has been translated into more than a dozen languages with the generous help of volunteer translators from around the world. Special thanks go to the translators who helped with our first translation into Spanish: Teresa Martínez Pérez, childhood education student; Marta Bonet Garrosa, Manuela Lara Lara, and Lidia Piñeiro, of Editorial Santillana; Sergio Antolinez, CEO of Tecnoaprendo; and Luisa María Palacios Maroto.

The ScratchJr project has received generous financial support from

• National Science Foundation (NSF DRL-1118664)
• Scratch Foundation
• LEGO Foundation
• British Telecommunications
• Adobe Systems.

If you enjoy using this free app, please consider making a donation to the Scratch Foundation (www.scratchfoundation.org), a nonprofit organization that provides ongoing support for ScratchJr. We appreciate donations of all sizes, large and small.