Animate Your Sprite!
Design and animate a sprite using simple drawing and block coding to create movements, reactions, and looping animations while learning sequencing and timing.
About this tutorial
Design and animate a sprite using simple drawing and block coding to create movements, reactions, and looping animations while learning sequencing and timing.
What you need
Step by step
- 1
Step 1
Think of a fun character and decide one simple action it will do like walk blink or wave.
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Step 2
Draw a clear front-facing outline of your character on paper.
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Step 3
Draw at least two more versions of the character showing small changes for movement so you have at least three frames.
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Step 4
Colour each frame so the important parts like eyes arms or legs are easy to see.
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Step 5
Open your block-coding platform and start a new project.
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Step 6
Create a new blank sprite in the platformâs sprite editor.
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Step 7
Recreate your first paper drawing as the spriteâs first costume using the editorâs drawing tools or import your drawing.
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Step 8
Add each extra paper frame as its own costume in the sprite editor so the sprite has multiple costumes.
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Step 9
Create a loop block that repeatedly switches to the next costume and waits a short time to set the animation speed.
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Step 10
Add an event block so the sprite reacts when clicked or when a key is pressed and then runs the animation or moves.
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Step 11
Run your project to test the animation and watch how the costumes change.
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Step 12
Adjust the wait time or edit costumes to make the motion smoother until you like it.
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Step 13
Save your project and share your finished animated sprite on DIY.org
Fun facts
How do I design and animate a sprite using block coding?
To animate your sprite, start by sketching a character and drawing it in the editor or importing an image. Create multiple costumes or frames for key poses (walk, jump, idle). Use block coding: set an event (when green flag clicked), use loops (repeat/forever) to switch costumes and move (change x/y) with short waits for timing. Add condition blocks for reactions (if touching, broadcast) and test frequently, adjusting timing and sequence until smooth.
What materials do I need to animate a sprite at home?
You need a computer or tablet with internet and a block-based coding platform (Scratch, MakeCode, or Tynker), plus a mouse or touch screen/stylus. Have paper and pencil for planning and optional headphones. A simple graphics program (Paint, Pixlr) or a camera helps create sprites, and adult supervision can assist account setup. Ensure the device is charged and set up in a comfortable workspace.
What ages is the 'Animate Your Sprite!' activity suitable for?
Suitable for ages 6â14 with adjustments: 6â8-year-olds can draw simple sprites and use basic move and costume-change blocks with adult help; 9â11-year-olds can build timed loops, reactions, and simple sequences independently; 12â14-year-olds can add variables, custom sounds, and more complex logic. Adapt challenge level, provide guidance for reading-heavy blocks, and supervise younger children online.
What are the benefits of designing and animating sprites for kids?
Animating sprites teaches sequencing, timing, and logical thinking while boosting creativity and storytelling. Kids learn programming ideas like loops, events, and conditionals in a visual, hands-on way. The activity improves fine motor skills (drawing/editing), problem-solving, and persistence as they debug animations. Projects build confidence and collaboration, and can be extended with sound effects, scoring, or interactive controls for deeper learning.
Watch & Learn
Need help?
I don't have colored markers or a tabletâwhat can I use instead to make and bring my frames into the sprite editor?
Use plain paper and pencil or crayons to draw your frames, photograph or scan each paper frame, and import those images as costumes into the sprite editor instead of recreating them with the platformâs drawing tools.
My sprite doesn't animate or the motion looks jumpyâwhat should I check?
Check that your loop block contains 'next costume' followed by a short 'wait', ensure the event block actually runs that loop, and make the drawingsâ positions more consistent between frames to reduce jerky motion.
How can I adapt this activity for different age groups?
For younger kids, simplify to two clear frames with big shapes and have an adult import photos and set up the event block, while older kids can draw 6â12 subtle frames, fine-tune the wait time in the loop, and add keyboard controls or movement blocks for more advanced animation.
How can we extend or personalize the finished animated sprite?
Add a backdrop and sound blocks, script the sprite to move across the stage or react to different keys, create extra costumes for new actions, and then save and share the enhanced project on DIY.org.