Minecraft Gets Free Educational Content for Kids Stuck at Home

Focusing on a task can help kids stay calmer

by
Rob LeFebvre
News Editor
Rob LeFebvre has been a freelance technology writer for 10 years and an educator for 20. His articles have appeared in 148Apps, Cult of Mac, Engadget, and many others.
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Rob LeFebvre
Published March 24, 2020 01:40PM EDT

Why This Matters

With schools closed and social distancing in effect, kids need all the educational and meaningful content they can get.

Minecraft space station
Mojang/Microsoft

Developer Mojang and publisher Microsoft made a ton of educational content free for their insanely popular video game Minecraft.

What do you get: The devs say there are more than ten different educational worlds to explore. Kids (and adults) can tour the International Space Station, the inside of a human eye, renewable energy options, marine biology, Greek history, and more. Each world comes with its own lesson plan that offers creative writing activities, building challenges, and puzzles to solve.

How to get it: You'll need to use a device that runs the Bedrock version of Minecraft (as opposed to the Java version on Mac/PC). This includes Android & iOS, Kindle Fire, Windows 10 PC, Gear VR, Oculus Rift, Fire TV, Xbox One, Windows MR, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4. Simply navigate to the Marketplace on your device and choose the new Education category. They'll be available for free through June 30, 2020.

The bottom line: Kids need to stay engaged and busy just as much as adults do to help manage their concerns during our pandemic and shelter-in-place directives. Having educational experiences within a game they already find fun is a no-brainer for parents hoping to help their children in these troubling times.

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