# Loops: Repeat and Forever

- Link: https://thecuriosi.com/lessons/scratch-loops/
- Published: 2026-10-31T14:56:34+05:30
- Author: MAHENDRA MANCHIKALAPATI

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Imagine you want a sprite to walk 10 times. You could drag 10 `move` blocks into
a long stack. But coders have a smarter tool: the **loop**. A loop repeats blocks
over and over. In this lesson you will learn the two most useful loops in Scratch:`
repeat` and `forever`.

## The repeat loop

The `repeat (10)` block is in the orange **Control** category. It is shaped like
a letter C. Blocks you put **inside** it repeat the number of times you choose.

    ```
    when green flag clicked
    repeat (10)
      move (10) steps
      wait (0.1) seconds
    end
    ```

This moves the sprite 10 steps, 10 times, for 100 steps in total. The small `wait`
makes the movement smooth enough to watch.

### Drawing a square

To draw a square, you move and turn four times. With a loop, it is only a few blocks.(
Add the green **Pen** extension using the button at the bottom left to draw.)

    ```
    when green flag clicked
    pen down
    repeat (4)
      move (100) steps
      turn right (90) degrees
    end
    ```

## The forever loop

The `forever` block repeats its blocks **forever**, until you click the stop sign.
Use it for things that should keep happening all through a game, like background
music or an enemy that never stops moving.

### Example: a walking cat

Mia wanted the Scratch Cat to walk back and forth across the stage. She used a forever
loop with costumes:

    ```
    when green flag clicked
    forever
      move (10) steps
      next costume
      if on edge, bounce
      wait (0.1) seconds
    end
    ```

`next costume` switches between the cat’s two costumes, so its legs look like they
are walking. `if on edge, bounce` turns it around at the edges.

## Repeat or forever?

  |  Use |  When |  Example |  
   |  `repeat` |  you know how many times |  jump 3 times, draw a square |  
 |  `forever` |  it should never stop |  moving clouds, music, game checks |

### Loops save time and reduce mistakes

Loops make your code **shorter** and **easier to change**. If you want the cat to
walk faster, you only change one number inside the loop, not ten separate blocks.

### Common bug: the loop is too fast

Computers are very fast. Without a `wait` block inside a loop, an animation may 
finish before you can see it, or a sprite may zoom off the stage in a flash. If 
something happens too quickly, add `wait (0.1) seconds` inside the loop.

### Nested loops

You can put a loop inside another loop. For example, put the square-drawing loop
inside `repeat (6)` and add `turn right (60) degrees` after it. You will draw six
squares in a beautiful flower pattern!

## Key takeaways

 * A loop repeats the blocks inside it.
 * `repeat (n)` repeats a set number of times.
 * `forever` repeats until the project is stopped.
 * Use `next costume` inside a loop to animate a sprite.

## Practice

Make a sprite spin all the way around in a circle using a repeat loop. Hint: a full
circle is 360 degrees.

Answer: one solution is `when green flag clicked`, then `repeat (24)` with `turn
right (15) degrees` and `wait (0.05) seconds` inside. 24 × 15 = 360 degrees, a full
circle.

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