Keep Calm and Minecraft On

“Do your kids like Minecraft too?”

This is a question asked by many a parent, at the playground, rink, or coffee shop every day in Canada. However the topic comes up in the discussion, the question gets asked someone hesitantly, somewhat hopefully, and the answer more often than not is, “Yes! He does…yours too?”

Minecraft is a phenomenon, both in the game itself and the influence and huge success it’s achieved in such a short time with such humble beginnings.  Still, it can be difficult to feel like you’re being a good parent when your child asks you for “just a few more minutes” playing. In very basic terms, Minecraft is a game where you dig (mine) and create (craft) different kinds of 3D blocks within a larger world of different terrains and animal (or creeper) habitats. Perhaps the most appealing part of the game is its simplicity – there’s no way to really “win” at Minecraft – you just keep getting better at what you do.

The toy/gift industry for Minecraft has exploded in the past 18 months, so for gift-giving parents are finding new ideas that can support a child’s love of Minecraft. Still, parents looking for ways to pull their kids away from the screen and into some family time can really have the best of both worlds. There are plenty of activities you can do as a family that can foster your child’s love of Minecraft and in turn supplement family time (and your mom cred!)

1)      Visit a farm or petting zoo. Sheep, pigs, wolves, chickens, horses and cows are all part of Minecraft. Visiting an actual farm or petting zoo not only shows kids what the real deal is all about, but it also teaches them empathy (which probably won’t stop them from killing a pig the next time they play Minecraft but they may remember the day spent as a family before they toss.)

2)      Geocaching is an awesome family activity that Minecraft fans will love because it’s essentially what they’re already doing in the game, minus the creepers and wolves…or maybe not.   There are more than 627,000 registered geocaches hidden around the world, and newcomers to the activity are usually surprised by how many caches are located in their own regions. Not sure where to start? We went to geocaching.com.

3)      Visit a local Science Centre or Geology Museum and discover that rocks, ore, and other Minecraft treasures are actually a pretty cool product in the real world as well.

4)      Plant stuff. Players can farm a variety of plants in Minecraft used for food and currency (you can trade it for other items). Cool items to plant at home that are also in Minecraft include carrots, potatoes and – here’s an easy one – grass! You can also visit a local greenhouse and buy a cactus, then paint the pot once you’re home.

5)      Create Minecraft themed food in the kitchen. Moms, Pinterest is your friend here. One of the most satisfying part of making most anything Minecraft is that it’s all cubes, thus if you can make a square food mom, you can make it relate to Minecraft.   Think square jello cubes, sandwiches, watermelon, cheese…you get it.   Even pizza can be made into a Minecraft theme with square shaped pepperoni and crust.

Whatever you choose to do to bring Minecraft into your family adventures, the important part is that you’re together as a family and fostering your child’s interest in something instead of dismissing it. While Minecraft has many great virtues (I think it teaches kids amazing visuospatial reasoning skills—learning how to manipulate objects in space in a way that helps them create dynamic structures, along with collaboration and problem-solving skills, for example) it’s important still to have fun outside of screen time. Maybe you’ll decide to actually try Minecraft for yourself one winter afternoon and see what the fuss is about. My advice – if you hear hissing, you best start moving fast.

We happily discovered that Cadbury Dairy Milk Marvellous Creations actually come in a breakable (block!) format and no piece looks the same. Filled with delicious jelly bits, popping candy and candy pieces, these treats are anything but ordinary and definitely pass my own kid’s inspection. Mom cred worthy and delicious, look for Cadbury Dairy Milk Marvellous Creations in stores now!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. As always, all opinions remain my own.