Coding for Kids
Today’s kids love Minecraft. That much we know for sure. But what exactly is Minecraft and what is modding with Minecraft? And perhaps more importantly, are there any benefits to playing Minecraft or is all “just for fun”?
First and foremost, there are limitless possibilities to what kids can build and explore in the Minecraft landscape, making it a truly immersive experience that’s intended to inspire self-exploration, project management, and creativity. And Minecraft mod ideas are a great way to expand the possibilities of the game. Best of all, modding with Minecraft is a great way to learn to code!
What’s The Deal with Minecraft?
Minecraft just may be the most popular videogame of all time. With over 176 million copies sold to date, it’s certainly one for the record books, and its cultural impact is undeniable. The game has spawned countless imitators and dozens of spinoffs.
What makes Minecraft interesting is that it has no single goal or set of instructions for how to play. Players explore the game, all on their own; whether bashing baddies in Survival Mode or building works of architecture while in Creative Mode.
Modding Is Tech for Modifying
Modding with Minecraft means the user has made their own personal change or alteration to the game. That’s where the fun is! And that’s where kids are most motivated to learn.
Modding with Minecraft on Tynker is a springboard for learning how to code—by enabling kids to make their own coding projects. And if they choose to, kids can share their projects and check out projects made by other kids in a safe and secure global environment, Tynker’s Minecraft community.
Using Tynker’s simplified code editors, kids can:
- Invent “Minecraft mods” and even multi-player games
- Use events for dynamic code
- Change animal behavior and characters with code
- Explore other Community mods and learn through experimenting
- Change their world’s looks by customizing textures, items, skins, and more
Along the way, they also learn key computer science ideas:
- Sequencing commands to construct buildings
- Keeping score with variables
- Using conditional logic to write programs that “make decisions”
- Triggering code using different events
Perhaps more than anything, Minecraft allows kids to see themselves in computing by “defanging” a scary topic — and motivating them to continue through adversity and learn by doing.
How to Use Mods in Minecraft
Minecraft is a game that encourages creativity and self-exploration, and modding the game can take it to the next level. Modding Minecraft allows players to add new content to the game, including items, blocks, and even new gameplay mechanics.
Some mods require downloading and activating Resource Packs or Behavior Packs. Others require you to connect to a server. Follow the instructions given for your modding platform closely.
Modding requires some knowledge of coding, so players who are interested in learning to code can use Minecraft modding as a springboard to more advanced programming concepts. Overall, modding Minecraft is a great way to enhance the gameplay experience and explore new possibilities within the game.
Tynker Minecraft Courses
Tynker offers an incredible trilogy of Minecraft Courses for kids to learn computer programming by creating incredible coding projects. Kids enter a custom-designed, downloadable world that they can control with code by completing challenges and solving riddles posed by characters in the game.
With Training Day, Agent Recall, and Gears of Time, young coders learn how to make their own Minecraft skins, items, blocks, mobs, and more in these beginner-friendly adventures.
If your child is new to Minecraft modding, these are great courses to get them started creating their own avatars in Minecraft and customizing their immersive world. Plus, the language is simple drag-and-drop block code, perfectly suitable for ages 7 and up.
- Agent Recall — Get coding in this immersive Minecraft Escape Room by exploring mods to break out of the enchanted castle. Ages 7+.
- Gears of Time — Travel through time creating minigames and solving 48 coding challenges in 6 different worlds, such as Rainbow Ninja and Haunted Theme Park.
- Training Day — Join Codey on an amazing adventure and learn how to customize your Minecraft world! Perfect for absolute beginners. Ages 7+.
What Does Minecraft Teach You?
Minecraft is a game, of course, but it has some surprising benefits for children of all ages. Here are just a few:
- Lets kids express their creativity and imagination by building anything they want — some choose to rebuild their own home or hometown — or works of classical architecture or sculpture — or even create logic gates to build working computers within the Minecraft world! When choosing goals that are important to them, kids are inspired to put in more effort and learn more.
- Encourages learning coding concepts. Modding games is a time-tested way to experiment with code. Many professional coders got their start “adding extra lives” or other simple features to their favorite games. Minecraft helps make coding come to life, visually!
- Nurtures teamwork and planning. Kids practice working and collaborating in small groups when in multiplayer Minecraft worlds. When modding, they can explore one another’s code and make improvements. After all, it’s more fun as a team!
- Helps in math and geometry by exploring 3D coordinates, keeping track of values over time, performing mathematical operations, and much more. While coding games and constructing buildings, they start to see how math can be practically applied to many engineering problems, not just Minecraft!
- Develops the valuable critical thinking, problem-solving, and technical skills to succeed in any endeavor, whether it be at home, school, or in a potential career. Minecraft worlds are persistent — the work you put into your world and your mobs is what you’ll get out of it!
Cool Minecraft Demos — and What Kids Learn
Build a staircase with code, after carefully counting how high you need to go. Then extend your program and build a pyramid in this classic Minecraft coding task.
Learn how to keep your code organized with functions and parameters. Here’s a function to build a golden railway — now that’s traveling in style!
Use nested loops to build a colorful disco dance floor!
Explore relative locations and mathematical operators! Calculate exactly how far to dig to reach the Void, the scary world underneath Minecraft. It’s a journey to the center of the earth!
Or write a function to build a fenced-in pigpen! Now that’s smarter farming.
Dozens of small, practical examples like these help kids understand how and why different coding concepts can be used. Forget a dry textbook — seeing is believing when learning to code — and these projects do just that.
More of Tynker’s Minecraft Courses
- Mythicraft – Build Minecraft mobs with custom behaviors while learning about monsters and ancient gods.
- Mind Crafters – Use logic, loops, variables, and functions to bring complex Minecraft structures to life while learning to build 24 cool mods.
- Mod Starter Pack – Make your own skins and experience basic Minecraft modding with Tynker.
- Game Design 1 – Learn to create 3 classic games in Minecraft – Capture the Flag, Slimeball Soccer, and Tower Defense.
- Mod Design I – Learn to mod Minecraft with Tynker! Build 25 cool mods to host on your own private server.
- Mod Design II – Create exploding snowballs, a treehouse, a fireworks show, and many more mods!
Tynker’s Modding eBooks!
Tynker recently released two more coding ebooks: Code These Minecraft Mods in both Java and Bedrock.
With these new ebooks, you can explore Tynker’s amazing tools for customizing Minecraft by making your own custom textures, items, and mobs.
Kids can even invent their own minigame! Best of all, these mods run right in your browser with nothing to install.
We can’t wait to see what your child will create with code!
Check out Tynker and learn more about inspiring the next generation to change the world through code.
*NOT AN OFFICIAL MINECRAFT PRODUCT. NOT APPROVED BY OR ASSOCIATED WITH MOJANG.
If you enjoyed this article, check out our recommended Minecraft resources below for your kids.
Minecraft Resources
Minecraft Skins, Items, and More
Live Minecraft Classes with an Expert
Build a Minecraft House with Code!
Benefits of Minecraft — Guide for Parents
Check out Tynker’s Curriculum and learn more about inspiring the next generation to change the world through code.
