Last updated on January 12th, 2021 at 06:42 am .
The popularity of Minecraft amongst people of all ages is no secret. The game has remained a favorite of people from all around the world since its creation in 2009. More than any other game, Minecraft has been able to capture the minds and imaginations of hundreds of thousands of children across the world. From merchandise to movies, the game has literally become part and parcel of our culture, and its popularity is still blazing.
Now, with so much acceptance and popularity, it’s common for parents to be worried about the time children spent playing a game on the computer which looks like straight out of the initial decade of the internet.
And if you also think that it must be unhealthy for the kids, think again…
That’s because there are various educational benefits of Minecraft and you can actually help your children learn various educational and life skills just by helping them learn advanced Minecraft building techniques. In fact, there are dedicated websites like; bluqr that help children to learn crucial educational and life skills by helping them learn Minecraft building ideas step by step.
Below in this blog, we will be looking at some ideas of using Minecraft as an educational medium for children.
Table of Contents
Is Minecraft educational?
While from the surface the game doesn’t appear to carry any inherent educational value for children, in reality, it offers much educational value. Just by exploring good building ideas for Minecraft, the game improves the creativity and problem-solving skills amongst the children. Companies like Bluqr have designed interactive and fun-filled learning classes for children by letting them explore what to build in Minecraft with friends. Apart from problem-solving skills, there are other various ideas for the classroom that can be used by teachers and parents to instill core educational lessons like reading, history, writing, math, and others.
Not to forget, Minecraft also carries great inherent value to instill STEM knowledge and global perspective amongst children; all while enjoying playing their favorite games.
If you are still doubtful about the educational value of Minecraft, check out some amazing courses on Bluqr.
Ideas for Using Minecraft in the classroom
Now that we know that Minecraft carries some amazing life and educational value, let’s explore some great ideas of how the game can be used to complement various skills in children.
1. Enhances life skills
Perhaps the greatest value of Minecraft lies in promoting creativity and self-direction skills amongst children. By helping the student learn what to build in Minecraft creative, teachers and parents can impart a sense of confidence and creativity amongst children. It’s good to start with easy fun things to build in Minecraft and slowly moving up the way to advanced Minecraft building techniques. Across the course, children will be able to learn crucial life-skills like problem-solving, collaboration, and self-directional. They will know how and what to build in Minecraft with friends to move their way top of the ladder.
2. Creativity
Another great aspect of Minecraft is that it offers kids endless possibilities to be creative. The imagination is the only limit in Minecraft, and children can explore as much as possible to create the best Minecraft buildings in the world. Companies like Blurq have mastered the art of invigorating creativity amongst the children by helping them with Minecraft building ideas step by step.
Just imagine your child building some of the best Minecraft buildings in the world like real-world and fictional cities, pirate galleys, and sci-fi ships which are also being built by high school graduates. Isn’t that children’s creativity at its best?
3. Problem-Solving
There are various scenarios in the game that pressure students to exploit their problem-solving skills. For instance, “Survival Mode”, forces children to come out with their best problem-solving skills to survive attacks from various creatures at night. Apart from Survival Mode, there are various other scenarios where children are pushed to the edge of their creativity and problem-solving skills to sustain and survive; like collecting food, building shelter, making weapons, and others. The key to surviving in Minecraft is to come up with the best possible strategy and stay vigilant every minute to survive 10 minutes replicating a “Day” in the real world.
4. Self-Direction
Another unique feature about Minecraft is that there isn’t a definitive “Win” for players. Rather, each player has to decide for himself what he/she wants to achieve from the game. Again, learning institutes like Blurq help children set the right goals for themselves that promote educational, as well as, life skills amongst them.
With no fear of loss, it’s easy to give direction to students and have them gradually build-up their skills by giving Minecraft building ideas step by step. Not to mention that the feeling of being in charge of their fate instill a sense of direction and responsibility in children, which often lacks in the rule-laden real world.
5. Collaboration
Last but not least, Minecraft also promotes collaborative skills amongst children. By letting them think about what to build in Minecraft with friends, teachers can encourage collaborative skills in children, not just locally but across the globe. By teaming up with other children from across the world, also helps children get to know and interact with people from different backgrounds and cultures. This also opens more avenues for children to develop strong communication and cooperation skills that go a long way in life.
Minecraft complements school skills
I remember talking with one mom who was enthusiastically talking about the benefits of Minecraft for children in complementing basic school skills like reading, writing, and mathematics. In fact, today it isn’t just dedicated learning sites like bluqr that are utilizing the great educational value of Minecraft to build school skills amongst children. Rather, many schools are also using Minecraft building techniques in the classroom to encourage and develop basic school skills amongst children.
Reading and Writing:
The foremost positive impact of Minecraft on children is that it helps them develop strong reading and writing skills. When playing on multiplayer servers, children have to rely heavily on the chat section to keep up with team members and follow the strategy.
This when explored correctly is one of the easiest and surest of ways to develop reading and writing skills amongst students. The passionate desire of children to express themselves and be heard to make them work even harder to interact and communicate with other players. When given the right direction, the reading and writing skills learned by children playing the game can be used with equal efficiency in other aspects like writing letters, creating homemade books, and other stuff.
Also, various real-world elements that students interact with within the game like biomes, gemstones, and others push children to read more about such stuff to gain more insightful knowledge and improve their survival chances. It’s a great idea for teachers to encourage students to read books about individual real-life elements that they encounter in the game. This won’t just improve the reading skills of the children, but also greatly improve the knowledge and vocabulary of children, eventually leading them to write better.
- Math
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Well, this may come as shocking to many parents, but Minecraft can be used to promote mathematics skills amongst students.
Starting from calculating the time till night to the amount of food required to undertake a good building idea for Minecraft and others, there are various opportunities for children to polish their math skills. There are a whole lot of math concepts across all parts of the game for children to learn. The key is to give them the right learning direction that not only makes them successful in their game but also help them master math skills.
Many educational institutes like Bluqr has carved out various math learning ideas on what to build in Minecraft for children and has resulted in improved learning and greater engagement. For instance, one idea on what to build in Minecraft is to let children solve geometric problems and built more complex shapes, thus improving their core mathematics skills for better academic results.
- History
Wait, do I read correctly?
You must be thinking how come a game can help children improve their history, right?
Well with Minecraft it’s possible. See, it isn’t just about ideas on what to build in Minecraft, rather the game also makes students memorize historical facts and dates. For instance, the game lets students purchase the complete version of fully constructed historical landmarks or buildings; literally bringing history to life.
How to exploit the educational benefit of Minecraft?
Well, the next time your child insists on playing Minecraft one more hour, you know it won’t just be a waste of time, rather a complete journey of learning new life, and educational skills they will be gaining. The key is to sit down and get involved with the children; observing what they are doing and how they are learning. Research has shown that the best lifelong learning comes when children learn while having fun.
Institutes like bluqr, have designed dedicated programs where students get to learn various educational and life skills while playing Minecraft and other games. So, you can always get your kid registered with the company and pat them on the back to keep learning and growing their skills, while having unlimited fun.
Is Minecraft good for kids?
Definitely. With all the entertainment and educational value, Minecraft is certainly a great activity for children. Apart from engaging children in a healthy activity, the game also develops and complements school, life, and career skills amongst students.