If you’re looking to create an animated scene with multiple characters and perfect timing, then this is the tutorial for you! This video teaches you how to coordinate action using the vital Wait block and make characters vanish with the Hide block.

It’s a massive step up in your ScratchJr coding skills, showing you how to start two separate programmes at the same time to create a compelling story—in this case, the kitten catching the bus!

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1. Setting the Stage: Introducing the Characters

A good animated scene needs a great setup. This tutorial starts by preparing the environment for a two-character interaction.

• Background and Characters: First, select the Suburbs background [00:20]. Then, you’ll learn to add a second character—the Bus—to the scene alongside the default kitten [00:32].
• A Crucial Tip for Beginners: The video highlights a super important rule when working with multiple characters: You must select the character you want to code! Any blocks you drag out will only affect the character whose icon is currently displayed in the coding window [01:15].

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2. Programming the Bus: Mastering the ‘Wait’ Block

We need the bus to leave after the kitten has reached it, which means we need a Wait block to introduce a delay.

The Bus’s code sequence is designed to make it wait and then drive off the screen:

1. Start: Use the Green Flag block (Yellow) [01:34].
2. Delay with the Wait Block: Add the Wait block (Orange). This is key for timing! The tutorial shows you how to change the default number to 15 seconds (or whatever timing you desire) [02:00].
3. Movement: Attach the Move Right block (Blue) and set the distance to 13 squares, ensuring the bus completely leaves the visible area [02:12].
4. End: Finish with the Stop block (Red) [01:48].

This sequence means the bus simply waits for 15 seconds, then drives off. Brilliant!

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3. Programming the Kitten: The Walk and the ‘Hide’ Block

Now we switch to the kitten character to code its actions, which will run simultaneously with the bus’s code because both programmes start with the Green Flag [03:18].

The Kitten’s code sequence simulates it walking to the bus door and stepping inside:

1. Start: Use the Green Flag block (Yellow) [03:13].
2. Movement: Add a Move Right block (Blue), setting the distance to 3 squares—just enough to reach the bus door [03:38].
3. The Hide Block: This is where the magic happens! Drag out the Hide block from the purple/Looks section [03:33]. When this block is triggered, the kitten instantly disappears, effectively simulating it hopping on the bus.
4. End: Finish the sequence with the Stop block (Red) [03:38].

4. The Grand Finale: Running Simultaneous Programmes

Once both characters have their respective code sequences, pressing the single Green Flag button sets off both programmes at once, creating a convincing animation [04:08]:

• The kitten walks 3 squares and then vanishes (Hide).
• The bus waits 15 seconds (while the kitten is walking and disappearing) and then drives off the screen!

Mastering the Wait block and Hide block is truly essential for creating interactive and story-driven scenes in ScratchJr.

If you enjoyed this, here are more ScratchJr tutorials, projects and lessons.