A catch game is one of the best second Scratch projects. It is simple to picture, quick to build and teaches three big ideas at once: events (the player moves), loops (things fall again and again) and variables (score and lives). If your child has finished the basics in first Scratch projects for kids, this is a great next step.
You can describe each step and let your child find the blocks themselves, which builds far more skill than copying.
What we are building
A basket moves left and right along the bottom. An apple falls from the top. If the basket catches it, the score goes up. If the apple hits the ground, the player loses a life. At zero lives, the game ends.
Step 1: the basket
- Choose or draw a basket sprite and place it near the bottom.
- Use when green flag clicked to put it at a starting position.
- Use a forever loop with if key left arrow pressed to change x by -10, and the same for the right arrow with +10.
Test it. Does it move smoothly? Is it too fast? Change the number and see.
Step 2: the falling apple
- Make an apple sprite.
- When the green flag is clicked, go to the top at a random x position (use the pick random block, from -200 to 200).
- Inside a forever loop, change y by -5 to make it fall.
Step 3: the score variable
- Go to Variables and click Make a Variable. Name it
score. - At the start, set score to 0.
- Inside the apple's loop, add: if touching basket, then change score by 1 and send the apple back to the top at a new random spot.
Variables are explained in what is a variable, and in Scratch concepts in loops, events and variables.
Step 4: lives
- Make another variable called
livesand set lives to 3 at the start. - Add a second check in the apple's loop: if y position < -170 (the ground), then change lives by -1 and send the apple back to the top.
- Add: if lives = 0, then stop all.
Ask your child: "What happens when you drop the apple three times?" If the game does not stop, that is a puzzle to solve together.
Step 5: make it better
Each of these is a small, optional challenge:
- Add a second sprite, like a bomb, that costs a life if caught.
- Make the apple fall faster as the score grows.
- Add a sound when you catch something.
- Add a "Game over" message by broadcasting and receiving it.
- Give the basket a different costume when it catches something.
Tips for helping
If something goes wrong, ask your child to describe what they expected and what actually happened. Often the fix is a block placed outside a loop instead of inside. For a methodical approach to this, see debugging for kids.
When they have finished, invite them to explain how the game works to someone else. Explaining is the best test of understanding. Many children eventually want more power than blocks offer, and our guide on when to move from Scratch to Python helps you recognise that moment. Meanwhile the Scratch course has guided missions that build these skills step by step.