Codingal

Minecraft for Kids: A Game or Coding Platform

Introduction

Minecraft is an adventure game where you are given the hollow virtual world with which you can build things.

You can explore the world and use the building blocks of the game such as wood, stone, bedrock, iron ore, sand, etc. to create nearly anything you can imagine.

Over the years, Minecraft has proven itself to not only be a fun game but a worthwhile game to play. There are a number of skills that you can learn and develop from playing Minecraft. Some of the schools are also incorporating Minecraft into the classroom.

The benefits of playing Minecraft include developing problem-solving and design skills, improving computer literacy, mathematical and analytical skills, and many more.

Since its release, the game has evolved into a repository to learn coding, game development, and collaboration. This guide aims to highlight the game’s functionality of being an educational resource.

What is Minecraft?

Minecraft is a game-based application that allows you to enter, create, modify, and destroy your own world. The unique characteristic of this game is that it allows you to build various elements of the game only using blocks.

You can truly build anything that’s in your head. With Minecraft, it’s possible to learn and build along with your friends. Creating different worlds with your friends builds the virtue of collaboration.

You can invite your friends to visit the world you’ve created and let them explore it. To get started with Minecraft you require a Mojang account, an email account, and Windows, Mac, iPad, or an Xbox.

To begin with, you need to create a Mojang account, input your details and verify your email. Next, you need to log in to your Minecraft account.

Game-based learning with Minecraft

You can get started with Minecraft lessons if you’re six years of age and above. With Minecraft, the learning is in the form of a game and you can see what you create and it becomes a fun activity.

The world that you build in Minecraft is the same as asking you to draw something on paper. For example, you can draw an apple tree on paper. But you can also build the same thing through code. It’s the thought process behind both activities that highly differs.

Minecraft: Education Edition

Minecraft: Education Edition includes several features that support collaboration and help educators create more inclusive classrooms, whether students are learning in-person or remotely.

It’s a game-based learning platform that promotes creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving in an immersive digital environment.

What are all the advantages of learning to code with the Minecraft: Education Edition

Game development – you will be able to develop simple and complex games based on the algorithms that Minecraft uses within the game world.
Problem-solving – Minecraft, by its very nature, relies on your problem-solving skills. It requires you to use your imagination and then figure out how to make things happen.
Creativity – Minecraft learning harnesses creativity with its creation mode. It inspires you to create new worlds and elements through its community features as well as with a collaborative approach.

Learning to code online with Minecraft: Education Edition

This edition is available across Windows, Mac, and iPad users. You can create your own login and take a trial with an Hour to Code – a free class where you learn to build a few elements of the game.

This version enables teachers to introduce coding to their students in a classroom setting. You can plan your lessons and skills that need to be taught and start building the game in a collaborative manner.

What are all the advantages of Minecraft: Education Edition?

This edition include allowing you to download a game and collaborate on projects. It also allows you to share screenshots and elements you’ve built.

Minecraft’s education community

The community teaches how to build elements in various worlds of the game, feature elements built by other kids, and also host competitions. It provides you with an opportunity to interact with fellow members and learn more about coding.

In their resources section, Minecraft has shared various coding tutorials of building worlds in the game. The idea behind it is that you can build anything they want. Minecraft’s education community is a strong source of inspiration for you to learn to code.

Their YouTube channel also promotes self-learning. The most recent series on how we make Minecraft teaches you to build different versions of the game along with building individual elements from scratch.

Learning block-based programming with Minecraft

Minecraft teaches the basics of coding through block-based programming. Block programming constitutes the foundation of introductory programming. It uses drag-and-drop functionality to build games and animations.
It instills computational thinking through visuals as compared to text-based code. This makes it easier for you to understand code as a concept.

Introductory coding courses for children include Scratch, a block programming language. The basic building functionality of Minecraft can be taught using block coding.

Learning programming languages easily with Minecraft

The programming concepts taught by Minecraft are a great resource for you to not only get interested in learning to code but also stay interested in it. There are a few languages that Minecraft uses such as Scratch, Java and you need to learn these to enhance your coding skills.

As mentioned in the earlier section, Minecraft uses block programming. Scratch is one of the popular visual programming languages.
It’s suitable if you’re a beginner and getting started to learn to code. The visual interface of Scratch is helpful in learning to build various elements of the game.

Minecraft is built on Java – a multipurpose programming language used for building interactive games and apps. You can build something as simple as a game of tic tac toe or as complex as a car racing game.

The entire game is built using Java code. The language is adept in building applications that require front-end client interaction. It means the players that are playing, ask the game to perform a particular action and the code allows the computer to understand that command.

This is the reason why Minecraft is considered to be a good educational tool besides being the most popular game across the world.

Immersive learning with Minecraft

There are two ways in which you can learn to code with Minecraft – one is classroom training, you are taught in school along with your classmates, and the other way is to learn online with a community of coders across ages.

Learning with classmates gives you an opportunity to interact with teachers as well as your classmates to build a world of your own within the game. You can build your own worlds and invite your classmates to visit.

The advantage of learning with a community present in the same class is the ability to collaborate with each other. You and your classmates can work together in creating the entire world.

It also enables you to create elements to support the storyline of the game. For example, if you’re building an underwater world, you can ask one of your classmates to build stone formations or seaweed.

Learning online helps you to learn concepts at your own pace. It helps in learning complex problem-solving skills as you will be self-dependent. You get help from the instructor but beyond that, you need to interact with an external community.

Community-based learning with Minecraft

The community helps you to develop elements within the game to interact with like-minded players. You can add value by sharing how you developed a certain world or joining an existing discussion on Discord.

You can also join the Minecraft community resource to discuss various gaming elements. It is a great source for adding value by getting featured within the community discussions and also participating in competitions.

Since the community is widespread, you get a chance to interact with coders with varying levels of experience. But that doesn’t mean beginners aren’t welcomed. The community also teaches how to build elements through Hour of Code with Minecraft.

So you can talk to existing builders as well as learn how to build elements within the same community.

Code.org’s Minecraft: Hour of Code

Code.org’s Minecraft: Hour of Code was created to encourage and support you to initially learn the basics of computer programming. It involves 45-60 minutes sessions on building various elements of the game. You can create and save your notes based on the session and get featured in the community based on your creations.

They also provide a module on teaching children through Minecraft. The basic objective revolves around game development and app building. They have coding courses for students belonging to ages in K-12.

Learning with code.org enables the students to become part of yet another diverse community of people that have to build their love for coding. Another advantage is to be able to participate in challenges hosted by the community that pushes the boundaries of learning beyond the classroom.

Learning to code—the Codingal way

You have now learned about Minecraft as an educational resource and how it helps you to learn to code through individual resources and also through the community.

If you want to advance in your coding journey, you will need to enroll in advanced coding courses that will help you learn with expert teachers.

Our computer science expert teachers will be the perfect mentors on your coding journey. The teachers come with an average coding experience of 7+ years. Each expert teacher is well-versed with over five coding languages.

We customize the learning process to match your learning style and make sure you get the maximum value from the course. Codingal provides a fully personalized and effective learning experience through online coding classes for kids.

Codingal offers the best online coding courses for kids including app development, game and web development, data science, robotics, algorithms, and much more.

All these courses offer you practical as well as theoretical knowledge about coding concepts. This helps in building your holistic personality by adding valuable skills such as communication, critical thinking, logic development, and much more.

So go ahead and book your free trial class right away.