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Scratch Code A Harry Potter Story

Scratch Code A Harry Potter Story
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Use Scratch to code an interactive Harry Potter inspired story with sprites, dialogue, simple animations, and sound effects while learning sequencing and events.

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Step-by-step guide to code a Harry Potter-inspired story in Scratch

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Reimagined Harry Potter Stories| Scratch⚡

What you need
2 backgrounds ready in scratch or drawn, 3 sound effects in scratch or files to upload, 3 sprites ready in scratch or drawn, adult supervision required, scratch account or scratch offline editor, short story notes or paper and pencil

Step 1

Open Scratch and create a new project to start your Harry Potter inspired story.

Step 2

Write a short story plan with a beginning a middle an end and one choice that the player can make.

Step 3

Pick three sprites to be your characters for the story like a young wizard a friend and a mysterious character.

Step 4

Choose two backgrounds for two different locations in your story like a castle hallway and a spooky forest.

Step 5

Give each main sprite at least one extra costume so they can change expressions or pose for simple animation.

Step 6

Add at least three sound effects to your project for spells footsteps and magical whooshes.

Step 7

Create a start script that runs when the green flag is clicked and sets the starting backdrop and shows your main sprite on stage.

Step 8

Program the main sprite to say its first lines using say and wait blocks and then broadcast a message to continue the story.

Step 9

Program the other sprites to listen for that broadcast and respond with their own say blocks or actions.

Step 10

Add animations and sounds by coding scripts that change costumes glide or play sounds when broadcasts happen.

Step 11

Make one interactive choice by adding a button sprite or using an ask block and broadcast different messages for each player choice.

Step 12

Test your interactive story by clicking the green flag and trying each choice then tweak the timing positions and text until it feels right.

Step 13

Save your project give it a clear title and write short playing instructions in the project notes.

Step 14

Share your finished Harry Potter inspired interactive story on DIY.org

Final steps

You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!

Complete & Share
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Help!?

What can we do if we can't access the Scratch website or can't find a castle/forest backdrop or good sound effects?

Use the Scratch Desktop app if you can't access the website, draw your own castle and spooky forest in the Backdrop editor, and replace missing sounds by importing short recordings from a phone into the project's Sounds tab or using built‑in library sounds.

My broadcasts don't seem to trigger the other sprites or the sounds cut off—what should I check?

Make sure the broadcast names match exactly and each listener sprite has a matching 'when I receive [message]' block, add 'show' and 'switch backdrop to' in your start script, and insert 'wait' or use 'play sound until done' between 'say' and 'broadcast' so animations and sounds can finish.

How can I adjust the project for younger kids or make it more challenging for older kids?

For younger kids simplify the story plan to a beginning and end, use two sprites and a single button sprite for the choice, and for older kids add extra costumes, multiple broadcasts for branching choices, variables to track decisions, and more complex animations like glide and clones.

What are easy ways to extend or personalize the Harry Potter inspired story after the basic version works?

Personalize it by recording your own spoken lines and spell sounds in the Sounds tab, add extra costume changes and glide paths for richer animation, create multiple endings tied to different broadcasts, and write clear playing instructions and credits in the project notes before sharing on DIY.org.

Watch videos on how to code a Harry Potter-inspired story in Scratch

Here at SafeTube, we're on a mission to create a safer and more delightful internet. 😊

Secrets of Coding in SCRATCH: *HARRY POTTER POTIONS DUEL* 2-Player Game Tutorial

4 Videos

Facts about Scratch programming for kids

⚡ Event-driven blocks like "when green flag clicked" let you control sequencing and trigger actions for interactive stories.

🧩 In Scratch, characters are called "sprites" and each sprite can have costumes, sounds, and its own scripts.

🖥️ Scratch was created at MIT and first released in 2007 to teach kids coding with colorful blocks.

🎵 You can add built-in sounds or record your own voice in Scratch to bring dialogue and effects to life.

🧙‍♂️ The Harry Potter book series has sold over 500 million copies worldwide — full of ideas for magical scenes!

How do I use Scratch to code a Harry Potter–inspired interactive story?

To create a Harry Potter–inspired interactive story in Scratch, start by sketching a short plot and scene list. Open Scratch (online or offline) and add or draw sprites and backgrounds. Use event blocks like when green flag clicked and broadcasts to sequence scenes, use say or think blocks for dialogue, change costumes and motion blocks for simple animations, and add sound blocks for effects. Test each scene, debug, save, and encourage kids to personalize characters and magic effects.

What materials do I need to code a Harry Potter story in Scratch?

You need a computer or tablet with internet, a Scratch account or the offline Scratch app, and a modern browser. Gather headphones and an optional microphone for recording voices, a notebook for storyboarding, plus sprite art or images (drawn or downloaded) and sound files or the Scratch sound library. Younger kids will benefit from an adult helper and a mouse for easier sprite control and navigation.

What ages is a Scratch Harry Potter–inspired story activity suitable for?

This activity suits about ages 7–16. Younger children (7–9) benefit from adult guidance for scripting and debugging; ages 10–12 can work with step-by-step prompts and simple broadcasts; teens can build more complex scenes, variables, and branching choices. Adjust the project complexity to match your child's coding experience and storytelling interest to keep it fun and achievable.

What are the benefits and safety tips for children coding a Harry Potter–inspired story?

Coding a Harry Potter–inspired story teaches sequencing, events, debugging, creativity, and narrative structure while building computational thinking and communication skills. Safety tips: avoid using copyrighted names or official images—label the project as 'inspired by' and create original characters or styles. When publishing, set Scratch sharing to private or monitor comments, and remind kids not to share personal details in project descriptions or chats.
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Scratch Code A Harry Potter Story. Activities for Kids.