Seeed Studio XIAO Series Now Fully Supported by MicroBlocks
We’re thrilled to announce that the entire Seeed Studio XIAO family — including XIAO SAMD21, XIAO RP2040, XIAO RP2350, XIAO nRF52840(Sense), XIAO ESP32C3, and XIAO ESP32S3 — is now officially supported by MicroBlocks, a visual programming language for physical computing inspired by Scratch!
MicroBlocks offers an intuitive, block-based coding experience that makes programming microcontrollers fun and accessible — especially for beginners, educators, and makers who want to start experimenting with electronics immediately. With this integration, learners can now easily code, test, and run live scripts directly on XIAO boards, making it easier than ever to bring creative hardware ideas to life.
What is MicroBlocks?
MicroBlocks is a lightweight, blocks-based language designed to teach coding and electronics through live programming. It runs directly on the microcontroller, allowing you to test your code instantly — no compilation delays or waiting time.
Despite its simplicity, MicroBlocks offers powerful features:
- Control GPIO pins and work with I2C, SPI, and serial peripherals
- Access to nearly 200 extension libraries
- Support for concurrent scripts (run multiple scripts at once)
- Persistent storage — your programs can run even when disconnected from the editor.
This makes MicroBlocks not only ideal for students and classrooms, but also for makers and rapid prototyping.
Why It Matters for the XIAO Ecosystem and Educators
The Seeed Studio XIAO family has always been about tiny size, big capabilities. With MicroBlocks support, these boards are now even more beginner-friendly, making the XIAO lineup a perfect choice for STEM education, DIY makers, and interactive projects.
Whether you’re exploring the low-power BLE capabilities of the XIAO nRF52840, using the dual-core performance of the XIAO ESP32-S3, or prototyping on the affordable XIAO RP2040, you can now build projects in minutes — with colorful drag-and-drop blocks instead of complex syntax.
Beyond supporting Seeed Studio XIAO Dev Boards, MicroBlocks’ visual programming editor opens up a world of possibilities for educators and beginners. This powerful combination not only makes coding accessible through drag-and-drop programming but also ensures seamless access to XIAO’s extensive hardware ecosystem. Educators can easily integrate the growing collection of XIAO Add-ons, a vast library of Expansions, Sensors and Actuators. Additionally, the Seeed Studio XIAO platform provides compatibility with over 400 plug-and-play Grove modules through the Grove Base for XIAO or Expansion Board Base for XIAO. This rich, expandable hardware ecosystem gives educators and students an incredible variety of components to choose from when building prototypes and creating hands-on learning projects, making it easier than ever to bring creative ideas to life.
Getting Started with MicroBlocks on XIAO is just 4 steps away.
- Plug in your XIAO board
- Open MicroBlocks in Chrome or Edge browser
- Install MicroBlocks firmware (first time only)
- Start coding!
You can find a detailed step-by-step installation guide for each XIAO board on our wiki or MicroBlocks wiki:
Calling All Educators and Makers
Ready to explore the exciting world of visual programming with Microblocks and Seeed Studio XIAO? We encourage educators and makers to dive into our comprehensive wiki tutorials that demonstrate how to use XIAO Dev Boards with MicroBlocks. Currently, our Wiki documentation focuses on basic XIAO and MicroBlocks integration, but we’re actively seeking community contributors to help expand our educational resources. If you’re interested in creating wiki tutorials that showcase XIAO Dev Boards combined with Grove Base for XIAO or Expansion Board Base for XIAO alongside Grove modules using MicroBlocks, we’d love to support your efforts! We’re offering hardware support and contributor compensation for quality tutorial contributions. Ready to make an impact in the maker education community? Reach out to us at [email protected] to discuss your ideas and get started on your contribution journey.
Notes at the end.
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