How to Make Friday Night Funkin' in Scratch – A Tutorial for School Kids

Scratch is a visual programming language for children, and also an environment in which schoolchildren learn to create programs in the form of games, cartoons and animations using blocks in a gamified form. This approach is very exciting and maintains interest in writing code: children confidently move in the direction of IT from one stage to another.

The argument in favor of working with the language at an early age, in my opinion, is the following: the game form. It is this that involves in the learning process and stimulates the interest of each child in mastering programming.

You can write different games in the Scratch language

I want to point out the game Friday Night Funkin' and say that it can be made with Scratch! FNF is a popular rhythm game: the task is to go through several musical levels and defeat several opponents by dancing. The main character is Boyfriend, who is mutually in love with Girlfriend, but the happy union is hindered by Daddy Dearest, the girl's father. The player must go through all the musical levels to convince the father of the sincerity of his intentions and win his favor.

Interested? Then I want to invite you to create Friday Night Funkin' with the help of a short and simple Scratch tutorial for kids.

The lesson was prepared by the school Pixel specially for schoolchildren aged 8 and above. You can follow the tutorial and also watch the video instruction, you will find it below in the article. If the child is not yet familiar with Scratch, then watch first step by step lessonswhere the base is dismantled.

Making FNF in the Scratch language

The main task of the game that we have to make is to hit the arrows on the keyboard to the highlighted “hints”: this will make the character Boyfriend move to the music.

Let's review FNF together and start with the arrows:

1. Open Scratch and go to sprites.

2. Let's create the first arrow. To do this, draw a rectangle without a fill, but keep the outline and stretch the figure horizontally. Now we need to depict the arrow. Select the “Change Points” tool and place them as shown in video.

The right arrow is ready. Let's rename it accordingly and paint it gray. Then we'll need to duplicate the resulting arrow and make it lighter. We'll use the name “Right 2”. The idea is this: the normal state of the arrow is gray, which will become lighter if it hits the stencil.

Now let's make 3 more sprites to indicate the character's movement to the left, as well as up and down. Using the internal visual editor:

1. Copy the images.

2. We transfer them to new sprites.

3. We set the correct names.

Now let's make active arrows, which, like in FNF, will be shown at the bottom:

1. Copy the “Right” suit and name it “Game Arrows”.

2. We write commands for stencils. For the first arrow, which indicates movement to the right, the block code will be as follows: when the flag is pressed, go to 134 115 and change the suit color to dark (“Right”). We program movement to the left in the same way, but change the coordinates and write 35 and 115. We work with the upper and lower arrows according to the same scheme and set the following numbers: -122 and 115, -47 and 115 respectively. Don't forget about changing colors!

Now I want to tell you how to program the basis of the FNF game. We need:

1. Create a condition for the game arrow. Which one – can be seen in Scratch lesson for kids.

2. Use an infinite loop and write a program to create clones with a delay. To do the latter, you need to choose a random number operator and set the interval from three to five.

3. Write a command like this: when I start as a clone, show up, repeat forever and activate an infinite loop.

4. Create a variable called “Suit Number”. It will determine the direction of each new arrow that flies out. The values ​​of the variables representing the suits in the loop should be set in the range from one to four.

Next, we create conditions. We need 4. The first is the following: if the number of the randomly selected suit is equal to one, then the direction of the arrow is to the right, and the color must be changed to gray. We do the same with the other arrows.

Now let's set the stencil coordinates to 134 and -168, and also set the command: after the character's movement matches the required direction, it is necessary to swim upwards for one second. Let's set a new Y coordinate and assign it a value of 240.

We do the same with other suits. This is described in detail in programming lesson in the Scratch environment for children. Be sure to watch the video to learn about:

• Programming of scoring;

• Adding a background and a character, a costume for it, and also sounds.

I understand that it is difficult to perceive instructions in text form, so I would like to recommend a video: watching it will help you see what and how to do using visual examples. It is enough to repeat all the actions after the teacher for everything to work out.

I believe you can do it! And if you want to learn how to work with the language at the level of an experienced user, you should think about training courses. At Pixel School, we conduct online Scratch classes for both junior schoolchildren (6-9 years old), and for older children (8-12 years old).

Now I want to talk about how the Scratch language is useful for children.

The Benefits of Teaching Kids Programming in Scratch

First of all, I would like to note that the Scratch program is intended specifically for children: in it, they learn the basics of writing code using bright blocks and simple commands. At the same time, schoolchildren learn the basic principles of programming:

• Logic. No code can be chaotic: sequences and connections are required. Understanding this fact prepares children to master more complex languages: textual, not visual;

• Simplicity. Programming lessons on Scratch for children lead them to understand the KISS principle (Keep it Simple, Stupid). People who are professional in advanced languages ​​say the following: perfect code is the simplest program possible, from which nothing can be taken away. Therefore, simplification is the way to eliminate many errors. And because block programming in the Scratch environment for children is really simple, KISS is easily learned by them.

I would like to note that the language in question only helps to immerse oneself in the basics and maintains interest in the topic of writing code. This is a great start for children who are interested in gaming and development. Free programming lessons on Scratch become the first step for children, gradually forming a stable interest in other languages ​​used by professional developers.

Now I propose to dwell on more specific advantages and highlight the 4 main benefits of the direction.

1. Immersion in the environment of so-called scratchers

Scratch programming online is an opportunity to join a multi-million strong community of beginner and experienced developers. Even enthusiastic adults spend time on the platform, teaching their children how to write code.

In 2023 alone, the number of new platform users amounted to about three million. At the same time, there were 500 thousand more published projects. They can be viewed, discussed, taken as a basis, viewed in source block code and more.

The built-in visual editor, the ability to create games and stories, and interact with other budding Scratchers is a huge advantage: thanks to this, every child learning the basics of programming in Scratch is involved in a unique developmental environment.

2. Possibility of self-study from scratch

You can start learning Scratch programming for free: there are educational and discussion courses for children forumsand also WikiThere, the children exchange experiences, ask each other questions, and also complete simple and complex projects together.

You can also start learning with the help of selections of free video lessons:

3. Forming a sustainable interest in writing code through involvement in the game process

At first, programming on Scratch online becomes just entertainment for children: they write code with little desire, and open other people's projects and play with interest. After a while, they come to understand that they can do the same and even better: the awareness of the possibility of becoming a developer captivates and awakens interest in creating games from scratch.

It all starts small: first, the child tries to change someone else's block code, makes mistakes, and then watches training videos, asks questions on forums, and begins to write full-fledged visual programs himself. All this becomes a reliable basis for further learning, as well as a lasting interest, possible thanks to independent free programming on Scratch.

4. Acceleration of general mental development

Writing code means thinking. And this is the best way to describe Scratch programming lessons for kids online. Kids actively think when they learn to use blocks, write conditions and more complex commands, and implement the internal logic of their own projects.

Teaching children the Scratch language also improves their understanding of a number of school subjects: geometry, general mathematics. This is possible due to familiarization with figures, coordinates and other important terms and concepts. As a result, each child begins to study better at school, improves their academic performance in general.

Let's sum it up and once again note the educational potential of the area under consideration, because independent free teaching of Scratch to children or classes in courses:

• Brings children closer to understanding the basic principles of competent programming – logic and simplicity;

• They immerse you in the basics and prepare you for mastering more complex languages;

• They teach how to interact with fellow aspiring programmers and game developers;

• Develop a lasting interest in writing code;

• They activate thinking, pump up the mind and accelerate overall development.

Thus, children's programming in Scratch is not just a hobby, but a full-fledged way to prepare a child for a professional future and to form a stable interest in IT. Therefore, the task of parents of young gamers interested in development in the language under consideration is to help children and support their aspirations.

Share your experience and advice in the comments: what language did you start with, was it difficult, is Scratch suitable for the role first programming language for children?