Do video games and language arts go together? They do when you try these Minecraft language arts activities!
Using Minecraft for Language Arts
Minecraft is a video game where players navigate a virtual world.
You can travel the world through Minecraft (it has every major biome).
You can build your own homes, cities, and landmarks.
The players can interact with one another.
You can develop your own character and make up backstories for the non-playing characters (NPCs) you meet.
Try some of these Minecraft language arts activities to get your students writing!
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9 Minecraft Language Arts Activities
Many of these Minecraft language arts activities work well as writing prompts.
Creative Writing Challenges
Prompt students to create stories inspired by in-game scenes.
Navigate the various biomes to create imaginative settings.
Build specific places within Minecraft to house the action of the story. Consider making a sunken ship, a castle, a farm, or an underground fortress.
Poetry Composition
Minecraft is an excellent prompt for stories but can also prompt poems.
Write a story poem about the action in your Minecraft world. (This can be as basic as “The Three Little Kittens” or as complicated as a scene from The Odyssey!)
You can also write a poem based on a theme within the game: survival, exploration, creativity, beauty of nature, etc.
The poems don’t have to rhyme. Here is an example:
The intrepid explorer persists
Beneath the blocks of dirt.
What treasures lie below?
Tiny rivers of copper,
Fistfulls of diamonds,
And the rarest of rare-
Glittering, green emeralds
Character Development Exercises
Create your own character. Go beyond just choosing your skin.
Think about who your character is. What is their name? Where are they from? Why are they in this place?
What do they want or need? What obstacles do they encounter? How will they overcome those obstacles?
Journaling in Minecraft Worlds
Keep a digital journal of adventures, thoughts, and reflections as you play the game.
You can use a simple word processing program to journal free-form.
Or you can respond to prompts for the day.
For example, “What are three adjectives that describe your location? Use them in a sentence.”
Here are some other ideas:
“What problem is your character experiencing?” or “What is your character doing?”
“Consider what your character might feel as they navigate this situation.”
“What might they say to other characters in the game?”
Descriptive Writing Practice
Minecraft has a variety of biomes and settings. You can find even more using Minecraft Education (like this one set in Florence).
Describe in-game landscapes, structures, and environments using vivid language.
Prompt students to use language that evokes the five senses.
What does the place look like? What sounds do you hear? Is it the city or the country?
What aromas do you smell?
Look around. What textures do you notice?
Narrative Building
Because your player can interact with their environment, other players, and NPCs (non-playing characters), you can construct a plot line.
Outline a sequential story from your gameplay and turn it into a story.
Dialogue Creation
Writing dialogues between characters or NPCs encountered in Minecraft.
You can write this as traditional dialogue (using quotation marks), or you can write it in play format.
You can even write a play for others to perform in Minecraft!
Letter Writing Campaigns
Practice friendly letter writing and pen letters from your player to others.
(This is not in-game messaging but actual letter writing.)
You can write to in-game characters (only those you know and trust in real life) or pen pals who also play the game.
Minecraft Storytelling Podcasts
Practice the skill of composition without writing something down!
Record audio narratives of in-game experiences to practice telling a story in sequence, using descriptive language, and crafting dialogue.
Try using the perspective of your player. For example, “I am walking through the orchard of cherry trees when I spot…”
Minecraft Language Arts Activities
Minecraft provides the necessary spark of creativity that will get your kids writing.
Use Minecraft to develop language arts skills with these nine language arts activities.