3 Reasons why Minecraft is an essential part of our homeschool.

Gaming. It’s one of those modern parenting woes. A constant back and forth on our heartstrings as our children experience a lifestyle we could have only dreamed of when we were kids.

I can remember when my daughter was first introduced to Minecraft and how excited she was. I watched her navigate the block world and if I’m honest, I found it incredibly boring. But she was hooked and it wasn’t long before I could see the benefits of using Minecraft in our homeschool life.

We enrolled her in a few classes and one, in particular, was outstanding. They created cities and then had to run them. She chose to build an apartment building that had a store at the bottom. Each day it was her job to run the store and collect the rent of the tenants who lived above. She ended up so busy she had to employ other players to help her run the store. It was incredible to watch and listen to her as an 11-year-old, describe what was going on in her apartment complex. It was this class that hooked me. I could see Minecraft’s capacity to teach her real-life skills and in ways that she’d never had the opportunity to experience in the real world, especially at the age of 11.

We haven’t always used classes to support the educational level of Minecraft. In fact, both of my children have spent more time just playing creatively or alongside friends than they have in classes. We have never really restricted the amount of time they play, rather helping them manage their time. So, there are days that they could spend hours on end playing and learning and then not touch it again for weeks.

That’s another reason we love Minecraft is because you can pick it up right where you left it, so there are fewer feelings of ‘missing out because they know they can just log in and continue their build.

The third reason we have loved using Minecraft in our homeschool is the connections it creates with friends. Whether through playing with friends they know in real life, or once they get old enough, people from all over the world. The flexibility of being able to play alone or with others has allowed my son, for example, to create houses and ‘surprises’ for his friends in his own time, knowing once his friend comes over again to play, they’ll have a blast exploring what he’s created. It’s a great way to develop friendships.

Every homeschooled family has that one curriculum or game they’ve found so educationally beneficial and used it for all their children. For us, it’s Minecraft. It has allowed them to use their imagination and creativity and learn in ways that no other game or curriculum has the capability to facilitate.

It’s for all these reasons we love Minecraft and I’m so glad I saw the opportunities to learn Minecraft offers, all those years ago.

Why not give these Minecraft Classes a try