Module 7: Parent Guide
How to Support Without Taking Over
The most important thing in this module is that your child feels ownership of their project. Your role is to guide, encourage, and ask questions -- not to design or build the project for them.
Your Role in Each Lesson
| Lesson |
What Your Child Does |
What You Do |
| 1. Design Thinking |
Brainstorms project ideas |
Ask questions to help them think. Do not suggest ideas unless they are truly stuck. |
| 2. Planning |
Draws storyboard and fills in planning sheet |
Help them organize their thoughts. Ask "What happens first? Then what?" |
| 3. Building |
Builds the project in Scratch |
Sit nearby. Help them find blocks if asked, but let them connect them. |
| 4. Testing |
Tests and gets feedback |
Be the user tester! Try the project honestly and give kind feedback. |
How to Support Without Taking Over
Do:
- Ask open-ended questions: "What do you want to happen when someone clicks the cat?"
- Encourage them to try things: "What do you think will happen if you add a wait block?"
- Celebrate effort: "You worked really hard on figuring that out!"
- Help them find information: "Let us look at what blocks are in the Looks category."
- Normalize mistakes: "That is interesting -- it did not do what you expected. What could we change?"
Avoid:
- Taking the mouse and doing it for them, even when it would be faster
- Suggesting a "better" project idea than what they chose
- Adding features they did not ask for
- Fixing bugs without explaining what you are doing
- Comparing their project to other kids' projects
- Saying "that is wrong" -- instead say "that is interesting, what happened?"
Managing Frustration
Building a project is the most challenging part of this course. Your child WILL get frustrated at some point. Here is how to handle it:
When they are mildly frustrated:
- Help them read their blocks out loud -- sometimes hearing it helps
- Suggest testing just the part that is not working
- Remind them of a time they solved a hard problem before
When they are very frustrated:
- Take a break. Walk away. Get a snack. Come back in 15 minutes.
- Suggest simplifying: "What if we made just the first part work for now?"
- Remind them that it is okay to spread the project over multiple days
- Say: "Professional programmers get frustrated too. It is part of the process."
When they want to give up:
- Help them see how far they have already come: "Look, your sprite already talks and moves!"
- Offer to simplify the project together -- a smaller finished project beats an unfinished big one
- If needed, it is okay to take a few days off and return later
- Never force them to continue if they are truly done for the day
Celebrating the Process
The finished project matters less than what your child learned along the way. When talking about their project, focus on the process:
Instead of "What a great project!" try "I am so impressed that you planned it all out on paper first and then built it step by step. You solved some really tricky problems along the way!"
- "Tell me about the hardest part. How did you figure it out?"
- "What would you do differently next time?"
- "What new Scratch skills did you learn while building this?"
- "Who do you want to show your project to?"
Common Questions
Q: My child wants to build something really ambitious. Should I let them?
A: Gently help them start with a simpler version. Say "Let us get the basic version working first, and then we can add more." This teaches the important skill of starting small and building up.
Q: My child does not want to plan -- they just want to start building.
A: Let them try! If they get stuck, say "Would it help to draw what you want it to look like?" Sometimes experiencing the problem makes the solution (planning) more appealing.
Q: The project is not very good. Should I say something?
A: Focus on what they learned, not on the quality of the output. A "simple" project that a child planned, built, tested, and improved on their own is a remarkable achievement. Celebrate it genuinely.
Q: Can we spread this module over several weeks?
A: Absolutely. Building a project naturally takes longer than other lessons. Take as much time as you need. Save the Scratch project and come back whenever you are ready.