How Minecraft and Roblox Help Your Kids Learn While Having Fun

There’s more educational value in popular video games like Minecraft and Roblox than you may realize.

Since their introduction, video games have been a popular pastime for kids, but open-ended games like Minecraft and Roblox have proven to be long-standing favorites. Their endless possibilities allow children to express themselves, flesh out creative ideas, and form tight friendships with fellow players.

These games have become much more than a pastime; they’ve become a means to make learning fun. Here’s how your kids can use Minecraft and Roblox for fun learning experiences and how your local library can facilitate that. 

Educational Benefits and Social Interactions

Though they may just seem like video games on the surface, Minecraft and Roblox both present kids with countless opportunities to learn programming and engineering skills. Take, for example, Minecraft’s redstone system. Redstone is a mineral you can find in-game that can be processed into various machine parts. 

Most people will only create simple redstone machines like automatic doors. However, when players use command blocks (items that allow you to inject lines of your own code), they can take the system to incredible, almost ridiculous extremes.

Our favorite example is the player who built a working Gameboy that played Pokémon Red within Minecraft. This system allows kids to find unique solutions to problems and create fascinating machines with an incredible amount of depth.

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Roblox’s developer program is also worth mentioning. Much of Roblox’s playable content is user-generated, and anyone is welcome to create their own. For your kid to create their own content, they’ll have to learn the ins and outs of coding and game design. However, their efforts won’t go unrewarded. 

Roblox developers can set a price on their content in Robux, the in-game currency. They can use these Robux to buy content for themselves or even exchange it for real cash! If they succeed as a young Roblox creator, they may have a long and lucrative career in game development ahead, so let them embrace it!

Finally, there are the social benefits of Minecraft and Roblox. Both are inherently social games, deriving much of their entertainment value from the adventures and content created by and with fellow users. Allowing your child to collaborate with others their age to develop complex Minecraft builds or Roblox content can teach them important life skills like teamwork, critical thinking, and conflict resolution. Though it may just be fun and games now, the skills your child will learn can be carried far into the future and serve them for a lifetime.

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Minecraft and Roblox Resources

If your child wants to learn more about Minecraft and Roblox, the library can help! Many libraries host Minecraft and Roblox clubs where children can gather and bond over their shared interests.

The Park City Library in Utah holds a weekly Minecraft Club where kids can work on Minecraft projects and challenges.

Over in Kentucky, the Campbell County Library hosts a monthly Family Roblox Club where families can play private Roblox games and enjoy other family-friendly activities.

In addition, many libraries carry officially licensed books about both games. Some books teach basic gameplay skills, but plenty also go into the deeper, more complex mechanics we mentioned before. If your child wants to use Minecraft or Roblox to make their first foray into the world of coding, their local library is the best place to start.

Library Coding Clubs

The library also has options for children with a taste for more advanced coding clubs. Many libraries, like Delaware County Libraries in Pennsylvania, host coding clubs and lessons for programmers of all ages and skill levels. This makes programming and computer science more accessible than ever and encourages children to turn their mild interest in computers into a lifelong passion.

Some libraries also host Girls Who Code clubs. Because tech and computer science are wrongfully stereotyped as male hobbies, many women and girls have a hard time carving out a place for themselves. Girls Who Code does just that, ensuring that girls of all ages can practice their programming skills in a safe and supportive environment. We’ve actually written about Girls Who Code before, so give that article a look if you’re interested!

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How Libraries Teach Online Safety

Of course, we can’t blame you if you have some misgivings about letting your children play social games like Minecraft and Roblox. Because the games are available to everyone, it’s possible for your child to meet some unsafe people without even realizing it, and as a parent, that’s a good reason to worry. However, library-based Minecraft and Roblox clubs have the same concern and spare no expense in addressing it.

Librarians understand the challenges and dangers of growing up in the digital age and regularly teach lessons on digital citizenship, internet safety, and how to preserve online privacy. Often, these lessons are integrated into the clubs themselves, ensuring that children know to avoid interactions with strangers until they’re old enough, as well as how to handle those interactions once they are. 

Of course, these skills don’t just extend to online games. They can be applied to anything your child does on the internet for the rest of their lives. By giving them an environment to learn these skills now, you ensure they’ll be prepared and protected later.

If you’d like to learn more about the many services libraries offer, check out the stories on our Families feature page.

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