ScratchJr vs Puppet Interview

With ScratchJr, young children (ages 5-7) learn important new skills as they program their own interactive stories and games. By snapping together graphical programming blocks, children can make characters move, jump, dance, and sing. In the process, children learn to solve problems, design projects, and express themselves creatively on the computer. They also use math and language in a meaningful and motivating context, supporting the development of early-childhood numeracy and literacy. With ScratchJr, children don’t just learn to code, they code to learn. ScratchJr was inspired by the popular Scratch programming language (http://scratch.mit.edu), used by millions of people (ages 8 and up) around the world. The ScratchJr interface and programming language were redesigned to make them appropriate for younger children’s cognitive, personal, social, and emotional development. ScratchJr is a collaboration between the Lifelong Kindergarten research group at the MIT Media Lab, the Developmental Technologies research group at Tufts University, and the Playful Invention Company. The ScratchJr project has received generous financial support from the National Science Foundation (NSF DRL-1118664), Scratch Foundation, LEGO Foundation, and British Telecommunications. If you enjoy using this free app, please consider making a donation to the Scratch Foundation (www.scratchfoundation.org), a nonprofit organization that provides ongoing support for ScratchJr. We appreciate donations of all sizes, large and small.

Puppet Interview is an evidence-based tool for conducting structured interviews with young children using animated puppet characters. Built on principles from the renowned Berkeley Puppet Interview method, this app translates decades of developmental research into an accessible, digital format designed for real-world use. Developed for use in educational, clinical, and research settings, Puppet Interview allows trained users to gather reliable insights into children's thoughts, behaviors, and emotional development through playful, interactive dialogues. The puppets present contrasting statements or questions, prompting children to respond in a low-pressure, engaging environment. Why Puppet Interview? - Grounded in Research: Inspired by the Berkeley Puppet Interview and built with input from child development experts. - Scientifically Validated Design: Supports standardized and replicable data collection. - Child-Centered Interface: Engaging puppet interactions promote comfort and honest responses. - Flexible Use Cases: Ideal for structured interviews, observational research, or exploratory assessments in schools, labs, and clinical settings. Puppet Interview bridges academic research and applied practice—bringing trusted methodologies to a new generation of digital tools for understanding children.