Today, we’re revisiting one of the most useful interactive trigger blocks in ScratchJr: the Start on Tap block. This tool allows your young coders to create dynamic scenes where an action only happens when the user clicks or taps a specific character.

Our project demonstrates this by having Kitten picking peaches, where the peach only wiggles and falls out of the tree when you tap it! This teaches children about user input and sequencing multiple actions within a single, triggered script.

Setting Up the Scene and Characters

We need a natural setting for our peach picking scene.

1. Change the Background: Select the summer background. [00:29]
2. Position Kitten: Move Kitten underneath a tree, as if they are looking up at the fruit. [00:34]
3. Add the Peach: Add the Peach character to the project. [00:46]
4. Position the Peach: Hold and drag the Peach character high up into the tree. [00:58]

We will only be coding the Peach icon.

Coding the Peach: The Interactive Fall

The Peach’s script will only begin once it’s been touched by the user.

1. The Trigger Block: Go to the yellow category and select the Start on Tap block. This ensures that pressing the Green Flag will do nothing to the peach—it only runs when tapped. [01:11]
2. The Wiggle: Go to the blue Motion category and add the Turn Right and Turn Left blocks. Using these two blocks in succession makes the peach appear to “wiggle” when it’s tapped. [01:18]
3. The Fall: Immediately follow the wiggle blocks with the Move Down block. This makes the peach drop out of the tree. [01:32]
   • Setting the Distance: You will need to check the grid to calculate the distance from the peach’s starting height to Kitten’s feet. The video suggests setting the distance to 9 steps. [01:45]
4. End: Finish the script with the red End block. [01:37]

Running the Interactive Sequence

Unlike scripts that use the Green Flag, you start this programme by simply ensuring the code is ready. You then tap the Peach on the screen. The sequence will instantly run: the peach wiggles, and then falls down to Kitten! [02:07]

This project is a perfect demonstration for our coding tutorials on how to use user interaction to trigger animated events. Mastering the Start on Tap block is a key step in creating more complex and responsive games and stories. For structured activities, explore our collection of ready-made lessons. Happy coding!