How to Use Minecraft in Your Homeschool

Video games are a very controversial subject when it comes to some parents and children. Some parents love them. Others hate them and consider playing these games to be a waste of time. However, it’s a well-known fact that game-based learning is very effective. When it comes to academics, the video game Minecraft is steadily growing in popularity.

What kid doesn’t love Minecraft? Honestly, you’d be hard-pressed to find one.

This game has the potential to help kids learn and grow intellectually. When you use your imagination and get creative, it becomes a powerful learning tool that any teacher can appreciate. It’s for this reason that many parents are using this specific game in their homeschools. When you combine that with the natural love that most kids have for the game, it just makes sense that you could work it into your curriculum.

 

Here are some ways to use Minecraft in your homeschool curriculum:

• Teach mathematics in a fun and entertaining way. In the game you use blocks to build things, which opens up the door to learn about measurements, perimeters and volume. In a sense, the game helps to bring math problems to life as your child works to figure out the dimensions of his next building.

• Explore the world of science. This virtual world is a great place to learn about different biomes and landscapes because it gives kids a realistic view of what these things really look like. This game also requires lots of mining, which introduces kids to minerals, ores and other elements.

• Inspire creativity. Since the game involves building and creating your own worlds in a 3D environment, kids are free to design and build anything they want. They can recreate their home, family or anything else they can imagine.

• Minecraft helps build character. When building cities, landscapes, etc. in the game, you have to take your time and work towards your goal. Creating a virtual reality world is not something you can do quickly. Therefore, it teaches patience, persistence and determination. It encourages teamwork and cooperation, which are qualities all children need to learn.

• It helps to improve language skills. You can encourage creative writing by having your kids write stories about their world. They can talk about their buildings, landscapes and the people they create. They can even draw maps of their communities and write guides on how they created their world.

• Make history interesting. Minecraft makes learning about history fun and interesting by allowing kids to build famous landmarks and learn about historical periods in time. It requires quite a bit of research to create replicas from history accurately but your kids will have so much fun they won’t even realize they’re learning about history and how to do research.

There are many ways to use Minecraft in your homeschool curriculum, which makes this game a popular learning tool. Of course there are times when you need to read books and study word problems, but video games like Minecraft can make learning a lot more fun and interesting for all kids. This is especially true for kids that get bored easily and have trouble learning the traditional way.

Minecraft is more than a block-based video game. The many different features, options and ways to play make it an excellent learning tool for various subjects. Since most kids love playing it, they look forward to their next lesson.

 

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