Benjamin Franklin
It has evolved, becoming an interactive and engaging medium that allows students to expand their knowledge, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Minecraft Educational Edition is an amazing platform for students to learn about STEM as they are able to apply and learn real-world skills in this well-known and popular video game.
Children learn to prioritize tasks as they struggle to survive in the game, they develop communication skills as they help one another in the game, and as they argue from time to time with each other. They improve their creativity as they compete to be the best designers. Minecraft games indirectly provide inspiration and influence to develop skills in technology, engineering, science, the arts, maths, and many more.
Minecraft helps the player explore their creativity with only obsidian blocks in their way. Minecraft is unlike any other game, there’s no story you follow but rather a story you create. Though it may just seem like a game, Minecraft has helped countless kids and adults explore their creativity while at the same time develop problem-solving & analytical skills. The great thing about Minecraft is you learn while you play, you learn about electric circuits with Redstone and coding with command blocks without even noticing it!
Kids are given the opportunity to freely roam the world of Minecraft, they are able to explore without restrictions. This free roam option is not common in many video games. Kids become more expressive and confident when given the chance to do what they want, how they want to.
The open sandbox format of Minecraft allows players to be more creative, since kids have wild imaginations, they come up with new designs which could eventually end up in the real world.
Through multiplayer adventures, kids get interactive with other players. This is an effective way of building social skills and inspiring cooperation.
Minecraft helps in building a problem-solving attitude in kids. Players must figure out how to cater for their avatars through out the game.
Playing video games affects the pleasure center of the brain. Professionals believe video games help the brain in different ways. It enhances kids visual perception. It improves the ability for kids to process information better. Video games can maximize learning in kids. The unpredictable nature of the game keeps kids going making them resilient. The decision-making and impulse control affects the way kids to weigh risks and rewards. It trains them on when to put breaks on instant gratification and aim for much long-term goals too. When a child wins a game they feel like superstars. They feel like “gods”. Constant practice on an action changes the brain, the more you keep at it the better you come on in doing it. The repetitive actions and thoughts work on the brain cells and creates strong neural pathways. As the neural pathway becomes stronger in repeating the activity, the learning of the activity gets better. That explains why kids keep becoming better and better as they play particular games or do anything repeatedly. When kids involve themselves in playing Minecraft, for instance, they are able to think well in terms of strategy but rather simultaneous decisions that have both long-terms and short term benefits for the mind and the child’s learning.
It is not a secret: Minecraft has become greatly popular for some time now. Since its entering into the market in 2009, it has greatly engaged the minds of different kids and even adults. At different summer camps, the Minecraft wildfire was spreading fast. Words like “Enderman”, “blocks” have become staple words in many homes. But people have wondered is Minecraft good for kids? The reasons for this question has been varied from concerns about how much time is spent behind the game. They have also wondered that if they are learning as much as they play. But the fact is: indeed they are learning as they play. Minecraft as a virtual world game gives kids a wide array of possibilities and actions that they can take whilst playing the game. It is an open field, building-things game. You log on into a world and you build with different raw materials. Minecraft combines both action and puzzles. It gives people a great level of creative freedom as compared to some games that force you to follow some set out paths. Players are easily able to create what they want with the resources available. Minecraft is not entirely like the other games because it does have a great deal of different ways in enhances kids life skills. Several parents have observed how it has influenced their kids in better ways.
Im sure you have heard it several times that Minecraft is one of the best video game when kids want to learn. Indeed kids learn a lot with Minecraft despite the part where they can become overly engrossed or over engaged with it. The more kids interact with Minecraft, the more they learn how to think independently and they can explore as freely as they wish. The game makes use of a digital and interactive background making it captivating for kids to learn. When you see how kids are able to manoeuvre in learning done in excitement, you can tell that Minecraft is good for them. Who does not want their kids to develop? Every parent will want that. In playing kids can interact with each other and play as friends in the virtual world. With the main requirement of strategizing, they are able to learn how to solve problems and develop real world skills that will be beneficial to them . Some parents have even noted that their kids get along better when they are playing Minecraft together. Such traits may not easily be visible at first but as they keep interacting with the game, they can pick up how to relate well with others as they play as team members. Striking a balance between on-screen time and off-screen time will let you know if it is good for them.
Good news! Parents have controls over what their kids can do whilst playing the Minecraft game. Many are concerned their kids will be thrown into a world where they may have no idea what they do there. Thankfully, that is catered for, there are controls for parents to set the game and exclude certain accesses that they deem will be harmful to their kids. They can control whether kids can see monsters. They can also check the level of violence which is dependent on the mode they are playing in. Their chats can also be customized so t that they do not stray into chatrooms that are unknown to them.
There are also websites that have been created as a resource point for parents to go there if they want to know how they can change the settings for the game. Anything that you feel will pose a danger to your kids has some checks when playing with Minecraft. It has been noted that the severe forms of bullying has not been allowed in Minecraft because the collaborative nature has prevented a good deal of it. Parents can follow their own intuition when it comes to setting the limits. They can check the age limits and define how best you will monitor your kids online activity. Guide your kids to make amazing interactions through their activities with Minecraft.
Minecraft has more than 16 million copies that has been sold from its inception to date where kids can explore in a 3-dimensional environment. Minecraft is good for kids because it does not have explicit content. The cartoon-like zombies and monsters do not pose a threat to kids. Even if they veer off into some areas where you feel they are dangerous. There are digital safety controls that parents, guardians, tutors can activate for their kids to have a good experience online. Most parents have thought about the fact that is Minecraft good for my child? Is Minecraft bad for my child?
The response to this is No! Minecraft is actually one of the few games that promote growth and development for kids. Some aspects include you the parent having the opportunity to join the kids is in playing. You will be on the low-key monitoring for their safety. Kids playing Minecraft can also play alone and invite only those they know to join them. They can learn different skills that can lead to future jobs be it in engineering, design or even architecture. They pick up these realistic skills and get started on real life careers.
Minecraft is an inexpensive game to set up. It does not cost much to get it for your child and it is not deployed on overly expensive computers. A simple tablet can run it. It is also the 21st century version of having Legos. It is simply a cooler version of it to have.
Kids over the ages of 6 are well acquainted with Minecraft. With over 200 million registered users, Minecraft has become a phenomenon and they are increasingly interested for them. For kids, they just want to get immersed in playing and exploring. From parenting and child development experts, they believe Minecraft is good for kids, only parents will just have to be watchful and monitor the extent to which they go and their screen time. Kids become even more enthusiastic with subjects like Mathematics after playing.
Its yet to be proven scientifically but kids feel like superheroes and can do anything when they play Minecraft. They can take on anything in the world. According to the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP) however say that screen time alarms about kids playing Minecraft can be a bit misguided. They have noted that rather, going according to screen limits contributes positively to the well-being of kids. They advise parents to allow kids to explore the virtual world. It will increase the initiative they have in the real world.
With various news about video games and kids with bullying and zombies, it has placed experts on high alert. They are concerned with parents controlling their kids screen time. There is a dicey conversation on whether banning the kids from their computers and even using smartphones is the best way. Experts say, when you forbid kids from play, you cannot influence their behaviour, and therefore a better approach is to let them have educational games in Minecraft. They put forward some guides that can help their kids experience and relationship with the game. They talk about paying attention. They believe that 80% of the time children spends behind the computer has no effect on the academics. Therefore making the computers, smartphones out of their reach will not be the solution, but rather work together with them to find the right times they can engage with it.
Also, establish boundaries and enforce screen time. Kids when left to themselves will not able to accurately judge the amount of time they spend behind a game and Minecraft can be indulging. Use the firewalls, electronic limits and block harmful sites. Also talk to them about internet use and develop good expectations with them online to ensure that they have the right direction. The expectations should be real. Give them the chance to share their experience freely with you. It will help you to stay informed with what they are doing online and you can guide them along the way. Following these guides with kids will make the experience of them playing Minecraft better and you will truly know Minecraft is not bad for them after all.
If your child happens to do well in real life in the areas of school and social activities, limiting their game play, may not be that important. This is because with or without the game they are doing well showing that the game is not affecting them negatively. The experts say maintaining a good relationship with them in their lives will ensure that you know their interest and activities even when they are playing Minecraft. Knowing them will keep you informed when they are beginning to become obsessed with the game or are beginning to become a bit violent or aggressive in their dealings. You can then know what strategy you are going to introduce for them to have a healthy balance
As the old saying goes, all work and no play makes Jack a dullard. Kids cannot only be studying throughout the whole time of their lives. There should be room for play time too. Parents all over the world have been concerned with their kids screen time. Youngsters are just getting to understand their world better and as part of their growth even if you do not personally introduce them to video games, their friends will. Playing is playing for kids when they are involved with Minecraft and other games. Play for kids helps in developing positive traits in developing, physical and cognitive areas. The UN (United Nations) has even declared playing as a fundamental right for all children globally. Some research has also gone into kids and digital play showing the use of games in education. They believe that play indeed is a time for kids to be happy, communicate, build resilience and experience accomplishment.
Well, some researches have put forward that there are good positives with kids playing Minecraft and there is nothing like too much play for your kid if only you are involved in its regulation. Some parents have noted that playing with it has made them build social world and they transfer what they have learnt from the game world to the real world. You would have to check if their play in Minecraft does not take them away from essential non-screen play too which contributes to their growth. Minecraft play is not too much play but it is rather a socio-dramatic time for them to enact real-world scenarios. It influences their behaviour for them to be open minded and even play with friends in school as if they were in the virtual world showing a continuity in their creative senses. Minecraft will therefore only be overboard when you do not help to discuss with the child and build their digital interaction. When you regulate this well as a guardian to them, no amount of hours will be deemed as too much for you to think Minecraft is not good for kids.
It might seem at first glance that playing Minecraft is a waste of time and kids will do better off-screen. But leaving them out of this experience will mean they can potentially be left out of fun things they can learn and do on their own. They discover many fun items and engage more in the multiplayer mode. Kids learn responsibility and learning to survive when they are thrown these gameplay roles. The more they play, the more they become comfortable and both in their own world and in the viritual world too. The develop independence and self-confidence and have fun whilst at it. They can laugh at their own goofs and jump up when they chalk their success and overcome their obstacles. You may even hear them scream and shout, they are simply expressive when playing. For observers they will agree that indeed kids have fun with Minecraft. The only thing guardians should be concerned is with moderating the time.
No one plans to have their kids end up on the not-so pleasant times especially when playing. Also everything can have its downsides but there are ways to deal with it.
First of all you can set some rules on how much time they can play. Leaving them on their own means they will not on their own switch off. You will have to just discuss the time and how to go about it. This should however be done before they start playing Minecraft.
Also, you can help them in finding ways to switch off from Minecraft by finding other activities that they can equally engage in that are needful for them apart from Minecraft. This may result in some tantrums and tears but they will need it for their development. They will need you to help them to transition gradually away from it so that they can know the arrangements that are in place for interacting with it. This arrangement can be such that even in the most intriguing stage, they can exit. That is when they will be able to successfully any downside of obsession.
Having a succession plan can help kids to prioritize and have the right approach to games like Minecraft. There should be a ready activity that they will transition into when they switch off from the game. Getting them to go and do homework before playing Minecraft is not such a good idea. You should find activities that are equally interesting but important for them to do. The successive activity should build on their interest. The alternative idea should be enticing but even if it is not that great, it will still achieve its aim of teaching them the fact that there are equally important activities to be done and not only Minecraft. This can help in bringing down the the undesirable sides when kids engage with Minecraft.
Help your kids to get great understanding of developing relationships at a very early age. Researchers have found that Minecraft has capabilities to increase cognitive learning, hand-eye co-ordination is also improved and their memory too. Kids are able to reason spatially, get construction skills and understand planning. For the parents who were worried about their kids excess screen time, they can join them in playing and to them there was no thing as too much Minecraft. When a game is good for kids, it does not mean there shouldn’t be limits. You will just have to check that they do not do anything for overly long periods of time including playing Minecraft.
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