Is Minecraft Good for Kids?

November 17, 2022

It's no secret Minecraft is hugely popular. Minecraft, which was created in 2009, has captured the imaginations of more children than we can count (and some adults). The fire is still burning at Minecraft camps and classes, as well as Merchandise, a movie and school educators.

Maybe the words “redstone”, “blocks,” or “Enderman” are already a staple in your home. You may worry about how much time your child spends on the computer, as many parents do.

It can't be healthy, right? They can't learn from playing. They can, and they do!

What's the point of Minecraft?

Minecraft is an open-world sand castle game. This allows players to interact with the environment in a non-linear manner and to control every part of the landscape. Minecraft's purpose is to survive. This includes building, exploring, and acquiring inventory.

These activities are complemented by many creative elements, making the game both fun and, as we will see, great for the brain. There are many monsters (mobs), to be defeated, and even multiplayer games have an endgame (we won't spoil the surprise).

(Learn more: Minecraft custom mobs course – for kids)

Is Minecraft educational?

Minecraft is educational. It enhances creativity, problem solving, self-direction and collaboration. Minecraft can be used in the classroom to complement reading, writing, math, history, and even math. Minecraft teaches business principles, STEM knowledge, global perspective, and more. Minecraft is both educational and fun, making it a top choice for kids' video games.

We break down Minecraft vs Roblox for your child if they love Roblox and Minecraft.

Is Minecraft good enough for kids?

Minecraft can be considered a good choice for children because it is both educational and entertaining. Minecraft can also enhance life skills, complement school skills, and help with career planning.

Why Minecraft is so good for kids

1. Minecraft enhances life skills

Minecraft is a great game for kids because it promotes creativity, problem-solving and collaboration. These are just a few of the many non-academic benefits Minecraft offers. These life skills will give kids the boost they need to succeed in college and their future careers.

Creativity

Minecraft is unique because it is an unlimited world that kids can create anything they want, but with the constraint that everything must fit within the 3D grid. There are many game modes in Minecraft that offer different creative possibilities.

You can find pirate galleys, re-creations both of real-world and fictional cities, and even your favorite sci fi ships in Minecraft. They were also created by someone who hasn't yet graduated high school. That's some serious creativity! (Seriously, Google “cool things made in Minecraft.” It will blow your mind.

Problem-Solving

Minecraft encourages problem solving through survival mode, where various creatures attack players at night. Players are dropped in various environments and must quickly find shelter, build weapons, and gather food to survive. This is where strategy comes in big. Each Minecraft “day” only lasts 10 real-world seconds, so players must think quickly if they want their survival to be successful.

Self-Direction

Minecraft is unique in that there is no “win” in the game. Players have to decide what they want out of their time in the game.

Do they want to build cool stuff and collect resources? Do they want to work together and defeat the boss? It's up for them!

This independence, and the positive reinforcement that comes from completing the next goal on their chosen course, builds self-confidence and gives kids the feeling of being in control of their destiny. This is something that can sometimes be lacking in the rules-laden real world.

Collaboration

There are many ways that kids can play Minecraft together. Learn how to set up a Minecraft server locally or globally. They can also work together to accomplish goals. They can pool their resources, create structures, defeat enemies, trade tricks, and all the communication and cooperation that comes with it is endless. These social skills can be transferred to kids' lives via the internet.

2. Minecraft complements school skills

Michelle Conaway, a mom, has written numerous blog posts about the benefits her children have seen from playing Minecraft, particularly in the most basic skill sets of reading, writing, math. Many schools have begun to use Minecraft in the classroom.

Reading and Writing

The blocky, virtual world has given her sons a boost in their reading comprehension, spelling, and enthusiasm for journaling and other creative endeavors. The key? Motivation. Motivation.

“It's simple. They have a reason to learn how to read and to improve their skills. Michelle agrees. “The motivation comes from their desire for advancement in the game.”

Michelle's sons have improved their spelling and written communication. She says that multiplayer servers heavily rely on the chat section. Their writing skills improve because they are eager to express themselves and be heard. It has even flowed into other areas of their lives, such as email, Facebook, writing letters and making books.

Michelle makes frequent trips to the library to look for books about biomes, space, and gemstones. This is because her sons are exposed to real-world elements in the game.

Research skills are also important. Players must search for information, hints, or tricks to advance in Minecraft. This can include anything from Wiki pages to YouTube tutorials, and many other sources. They learn to analyze the infinite resources available to them to find what's most useful. This sounds a lot like how college theses are written.

Math is another big and potentially exciting part of Minecraft.

Michelle says that she has seen children figure out how long they have before 'night', calculate the amount of food required to go on a mining expedition, divide supplies equally among players, and estimate how much land is needed to build a city. They can't help but to learn math concepts if they want success in their game.

Michelle's youngest asked her to quiz him using multiplication flashcards, something he had never done before. Michelle reports that he got all of them right without ever having to do worksheets or work from a book.

There are many natural applications of Minecraft to mathematics. Many educators have used it to increase engagement and boost results.

Teachers let children use blocks to create more complex shapes and solve geometries in Minecraft. Los Angeles teacher, John “Mathcraft”, found that his program “helped improve the math performance of his students from 18% correct at beginning of the year to 83% correct at the end of the year retesting.” It also significantly improved the academic culture in his class.

Read More: Minecraft Stats & Facts

Histories

Wait, what about history? Yes! Hear me.

Students who are unable to memorize historical dates and facts can be engaged by Minecraft. Why? Why? Because you can either import fully-reconstructed versions famous landmarks and buildings, or create your own.

There is no better way to bring history alive than to take a virtual tour of The Great Pyramids, The Globe Theatre, and the Coliseum.

Children can gain a better understanding of architecture and be able to compare and contrast the different structures when they look closely at them.

3. Minecraft develops career skills

Right-Minecraft can be directly applied to workplace skills that will help your child land a solid job.

Business Principles

Minecraft can help your child prepare for a career as a systems administrator, manager, or business professional. How? Hosting a server. Mark, a marketing specialist discovered the immense benefits when he began playing on a server owned by a friend of his son.

Mark says that Mark's 17-year old son had to purchase and maintain the hardware, learn technology to host a Minecraft server, update with product releases, find and install mods (addons), ensure that the mods are compatible, maintain the server, and support all players. “Do system administrators get paid well to do this type of work?”

They do. Mark also pointed out that his son and a friend actively promoted their server on Twitter and Facebook, as well as forums. This means that they are also gaining marketing experience.

STEM Knowledge

Are you worried about your child becoming a server administrator? There are many other training opportunities in Minecraft. Children learn about computer hardware and functions and also get experience with coding and game design principles. STEM skills (science, technology engineering, and mathematics) are important in 21st-century workplaces. Some even consider coding the new literacy.

A Global Perspective

It is amazing to see how global business has become that children can play with anyone around the globe. How much more advanced will your child be if he or she is able to use common telecommunication tools such as Skype and has the social skills to communicate clearly with people around the globe?

Minecraft's social nature teaches you how to share responsibilities, negotiate designs, and complete projects. These are all valuable career skills. These skills are not easy to teach but they are the most valuable to future employers.

Minecraft offers valuable educational benefits

Next time your child asks you if they can play Minecraft more (and you know that they will! Think about all the practical, useful skills they are gaining. As they play, sit down with them and get involved in what they are learning. You won't believe how much they are learning and having fun. This is the best kind education, and it's what we specialize in at iD Tech.

Do you want to take your child's Minecraft education up a notch? You can camp online with us right now! We know Minecraft well and can help your child enjoy this educational and fun game. Get more information about Minecraft coding for children!

Don't worry if your camper has never placed a block, or fought a creeper. There are dozens of courses available on the most current tech topics for your STEM student. These courses can be taken as online classes or small group virtual summer camps. We are excited to meet your child online this summer or in person!