How to play Minecraft with younger children

Is your child obsessed with Minecraft games?

Do you wonder whether Minecraft is good for kids?

Do you know which impact playing Minecraft has on your child’s learning?

Your kids can play Minecraft for free on selected Minecraft servers and look forward to their gaming time.

If children are allowed to spend time on smartphones, tablets, or television, you’d rather have them engage with online games that stimulate their brains, promoting mental capabilities.

The Minecraft game can improve cognitive learning capabilities and fine motor skills. Let’s see how.

What is Minecraft?

How To Play Minecraft Minecraft is, arguably, the most influential video game of all time. Players can create new interesting environments using blocks and then go on adventure trips in the world they create.

The environment is randomly reassembled every time you reload a new game; thus, no two games will be alike. This game doesn’t offer directions or instructions. It is a free form, do as you wish affair, where the player figures out the next steps. The player learns through the trial and error method about the dos and don’ts.

During adventures, the game introduces obstacles to players, and they have to devise solutions to overcome these hurdles, which teaches problem-solving skills.

Minecraft is available on all platforms such as iOS, Android, Mac, Xbox, PlayStation, and PC and for any help regarding how to get started with Minecraft, check these useful step by step Minecraft tutorials.

How to Play Minecraft?

We encourage parents to give the game a shot themselves to experience the types of decision making it triggers. Here’s how:

Start the Minecraft journey as a single player.
Create a new environment by clicking on the create a new world
The create new world button lets you name the new environment. Choose a name and build a new world.
You will have to select the game mode now to experience the open world uniquely. Types of game modes in Minecraft are:
- Survival – Players have to survive in this mode by gathering material to build shelter and dodging obstacles.
- Spectator – This mode is used to observe the environment created by other players; hence, you are invisible to everything.
- Creative – Players have immediate access to all blocks. They can fly and are immune to death. The main purpose of this mode is to create a unique environment.
- Adventure – Players will be able to interact with controls and obstacles to complete the adventure.
- Hardcore – The difficulty level of this mode is very high. Players cannot re-join the game. Once the player dies, the environment is deleted or you can only observe, but cannot participate.

Younger children can start playing Minecraft in the creative or adventure modes, so they understand the basics of the game and develop the cognitive gaming skills to build on for the advanced levels. Minecraft is considered safe for children above 7 years of age.

See how you can play it on the SeekaHost Minecraft server here:

5 Top Benefits of Playing Minecraft As A Child

Here are the benefits of allowing children to play this game for an agreed and supervised period:

1. Improves Focus

Building a new environment in the game requires concentration because you will have to be attentive for a long time doing a single task.

While creating a new environment the child has to concentrate on building one level (at a time) and then move on to another. This activity strengthens the attention muscle, that will help them focus in class and while completing tasks like their homework.

2. Enhances Problem Solving Skills

Manoeuvring obstacles in the game can encourage critical thinking and quick reaction to efficiently solve real-world problems.

Dodging obstacles, making quick escape plans, finding cover, and learning to survive are the main features of this game. Children playing this game are bound to enhance these life skills in a playful and purposeful way.

3. Encourages Creativity and Project Planning

Project Planning

Minecraft provides endless scope for creativity. Young children might not be able to create the most sophisticated environment right away. However, their efforts can prove fruitful in enhancing and inculcating creative skills by continuing to improve it.

With the huge number of blocks and opportunities provided in the game, it gives children the scope to build anything they can imagine. There have been cases where children with Dyslexia have benefited from the video game.

4. Improves Math and Basic Programming Knowledge

While developing complex shapes, tackling geometric problems, and manipulating blocks, children improve their mathematical skills and fine motor skills. These are part of every child’s curriculum at school.

Along with math, children develop a basic understanding of the Python programming language. Minecraft is written in the Python language and children with a good grasp over commanding blocks learn it with ease.

5. Teaches Digital Literacy Skills

This game allows players to interact and collaborate online to create bigger and better environments. They will learn how to use online communication tools, browsers, and apply basic computing skills.

However, as parents, you need to know who is connecting with your children on a public internet server. You can set up your personal Minecraft gaming server to know and control who is connecting and playing in your child’s environment. This option can make you assured of your child’s security along with them enhancing their cognitive skills from a video game. You can learn more about security settings for Minecraft gaming here.

Minecraft combines learning and fun

Although Minecraft, like any other online or video game, can be addictive, the benefits of playing it outperform any disadvantages.

Children can build their math and programming skills and become problem solvers from a very young age while being creative at the same time.

Gaming isn’t a waste of time as some parents often believe it to be. Minecraft is a perfect example of how gaming can boost cognitive development. Of course, moderation and safety is the key to remember to enable a fun learning experience while playing.

Author Profile

Manuela WillboldEditor in Chief

Blogger and Educator by Passion | Senior Online Media & PR Strategist at ClickDo Ltd. | Contributor to many Education, Business & Lifestyle Blogs in the United Kingdom & Germany | Summer Course Student at the London School of Journalism and Course Instructor at the SeekaHost University.