What Inspired the Creation of Scratch Junior?

ScratchJr is a programming language and environment designed for young children, typically aged 4-7. It was inspired by the success of the original Scratch program, which was created in 2001 at MIT's Media Lab.

The original Scratch program was designed to teach kids how to code and develop problem-solving skills through creative activities like animation, storytelling, and game development. However, researchers noticed that many young children were not yet ready for the complexities of the original Scratch program, which required a level of reading and writing proficiency.

In 2013, the Scratch team at MIT's Lifelong Kindergarten group, led by Professor Mitch Resnick, set out to create a version of Scratch that would be more accessible and engaging for younger children. They wanted to provide a programming environment that would help young kids develop important skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity.

The inspiration for ScratchJr came from several sources:

1. Research on early childhood education: The team studied research on child development, learning theories, and best practices in early childhood education. They understood the importance of play-based learning, hands-on activities, and social interactions in young children's cognitive and emotional growth.
2. The success of block-based programming: Block-based programming languages like Blockly (used by Code.org) and Scratch had already shown promise in making coding accessible to younger students. ScratchJr built upon this concept by creating a visual, drag-and-drop interface that would be easy for young children to understand and use.
3. Feedback from parents and educators: The team gathered feedback from parents and educators who were using the original Scratch program with their children or students. They learned about the challenges of introducing coding concepts to very young learners and the importance of making it fun, engaging, and relevant to their daily lives.
4. The need for early childhood education: There was a growing recognition that early childhood education is critical in laying the foundation for future learning and academic success. ScratchJr aimed to provide a tool that would support this effort by introducing programming concepts and computational thinking to young children.

In 2013, ScratchJr was released as an iPad app, and since then, it has become a widely used educational tool in schools and homes around the world.