Best Scratch Alternatives for Elementary STEM Teachers

Scratch has become a go-to platform for elementary STEM education, introducing students to coding through an intuitive, block-based interface. Its popularity stems from its accessibility and ability to foster collaboration, but you may be seeking alternatives due to game sharing and privacy concerns, the need for an easier to use platform, or a desire to explore new tools with features like assessment modes, self-differentiation, or bilingual support. This post offers a curated list of Scratch alternatives tailored for elementary students, helping you find the right tools to inspire and engage young learners in coding.

What to look for in a Scratch alternative?

Ease of Use

Ease of use is essential for Scratch alternatives because young learners need intuitive, straightforward interfaces to quickly understand and engage with coding concepts. Simple design and minimal technical hurdles allow students to focus on creativity and problem-solving rather than struggling with complex commands or confusing layouts.

Age Appropriateness

Age-appropriate design in Scratch alternatives ensures that the content, visuals, and instructions are accessible and engaging for young learners, aligning with their developmental stage and comprehension levels. This makes coding feel approachable and enjoyable, laying a strong foundation for confidence and continued learning in STEM.

Alignment with standards

Standards alignment in Scratch alternatives ensures that the coding activities support curriculum goals and STEM learning objectives, making it easier for teachers to integrate these tools meaningfully into their lesson plans.

Self-differentiation

Differentiation in Scratch alternatives allows students with varying skill levels to succeed by providing personalized challenges and pacing options, ensuring all learners remain engaged and supported. This flexibility helps teachers meet individual needs, making coding accessible and rewarding for beginners while challenging advanced students.

Student engagement

Student engagement is crucial for Scratch alternatives because interactive, captivating tools keep young learners motivated and curious about coding. High engagement fosters a positive learning experience, encouraging students to experiment, persist, and develop problem-solving skills essential in STEM.

Best Scratch alternatives for elementary classrooms

Kodable Creator

Kodable Creator is Kodable’s latest coding platform that teaches 3rd-5th grade students how to code their own game! With the help of their AI-powered coding tutor CatBot, students follow step-by-step instructions using a student-friendly coding interface with drag-and-drop blocks that also show real coding verbiage and symbols.

Kodable Creator provides a standards-aligned learning progression that students can follow at their own pace, getting additional support or challenges from CatBot along the way. You can use Kodable’s teacher dashboard to view standards-aligned progress reporting to see how students are performing and who needs additional assistance.

Kodable Creator is entirely free for teachers to use in their classroom so you can create your own account today to get started or try a Creator activity online here!

Blockly

Blockly is straightforward and highly intuitive, perfect for introducing beginners to coding basics without overwhelming them. Its similarity to Scratch makes it an easy transition for students and teachers already familiar with visual programming, however Blockly does have limited project types compared to Scratch. This platform is great for teachers who want to introduce coding for the first time with a simple, no-frills platform focused on foundational logic and sequencing skills.

Tynker

Tynker features story-driven projects, coding games, and interactive lessons with engaging narratives and supportive learning pathways. While some of the more advanced features are paywalled, Tynker is great for teachers who want a creative, gamified coding experience to replace Scratch in their classrooms.

Code.org's App Lab

Code.org’s App Lab features drag-and-drop coding and text-based coding for older elementary students. Its slightly steeper learning curve makes it best for teachers with students ready to transition from block based to text based coding. App Lab does not offer any online progress reporting or assessment features for teachers to utilize.

Tips for implementing Scratching alternatives in the classroom

To start using Scratch alternatives in your classroom, start with a simple, engaging lesson like having students create their own animated story or mini-game. Kodable Creator’s first lesson, for instance, involves teaching students how to use the platform while they create their first game!

Encourage creativity by allowing students to personalize their projects with original characters, stories, or game elements, fostering ownership and excitement. If available, use built-in assessment or progress reporting on a platform to gauge student success after the initial lesson.

You can also tell how successful any Scratch alternative is by the amount of student questions or difficulty encountered during the lesson. Too many questions or confused students? Might be time to try something new!