Nothing educational about roblox, Minecraft etc?

You're obviously not thinking about this very hard OP otherwise I'm sure you'd be ensuring your children are socialised (as well as maybe enjoying the educational and non educational benefits of minecraft) rather than having them sit around cutting and sticking all day.

You're a much better parent than the neighbours after all

Both my kids have access to tablets. One plays minecraft - the other almost never although she likes to watch her sister. The gamer child is much more sociable, has a bigger friend group, still reads and does loads of craft including making jewellery for all our relatives’ Christmas presents. She also writes and illustrates her own stories. Bookworm child reads incessantly to the exclusion of everything else and probably would ignore your kids if they came round if she was reading a really good book. I find it a bit weird that this is commended but games like minecraft from which my daughter has learned loads and been very inspired creatively are demonised.

I think yabu, yes I would prefer my DD to spend all day reading but realistically this is the 21st century, and Roblox and Minecraft are not the enemy. There are far worse games to play. Minecraft at it's best is creative.

My daughter loves Roblox, she has grown out of Minecraft now (she is ten, she did like it aged 8). I agree it can be horribly addictive. But Roblox has been a lifeline because my DD chats on Facetime or Skype on her phone whilst playing Roblox on the laptop. She has been able to avoid any MH problems in lockdown simply by having that regular opportunity to natter to her friends, play cooperatively in group games, roleplay etc. Roblox has improved her confidence talking in groups (but not talking over people), negotiating which games to play, taking turns, etc.

She has also had a go at coding, too, as there are lots of YouTube videos that help teach that for Roblox. But in honesty we have mostly relied on it for fun and interaction with friends.

I do think it is important not to isolate children from their peers by cutting them off from modern life. I had a school friend whose mum refused to have a TV in the house so that she could focus on reading and schooling, she grew up totally excluded from conversations with peers, became an oddball, was bullied. I befriended her at university (we were both Oxbridge), she was nice but still very withdrawn. Despite having an amazing education, she didn't flourish, she never got over her feeling of being an outsider. She became an alcoholic and got a dead end job. Obviously it is an extreme example but I'm just making the point that it can be very damaging to be on the outside of social conversations with peers.

For me, it is balance in all things.

Why are people so scared of technology? Are you an older parent?

We have all the devices. Switches, iPads, Xbox, PlayStation etc. Our kids play them but they also read, craft, skate, sing, dance, go out with mates etc. It’s not one or the other.

YABU OP. You could probably be doing something better with your time than posting on MN, I could certainly be doing something better with mine. But DC are growing up in a digital age, it's really quite important they get to grips with this stuff. Learning how to interact safely online, navigate apps, socialise online, these are important skills. Particularly at the moment, she will end up being left out of her friendship groups and feeling isolated. There is really no harm in allowing her a limited amount of screen time.

Ha, what timing! Just yesterday my DC12 came home from school (France) and happily told me how he had won a €50 chocolate coin in Geography. He had won a class completion to name the most biomes and ecosystems. When I asked him how he knew so many, he said he’d named most of them from minecraft! And then he further explained how it also teaches you about metals and minerals and what are found where for example. Aside from that it has also been a great outlet and essential way to stay in touch with school friends. Lots of value to some games in my opinion and minecraft is particularly good because it also teaches them 3D shaping, some maths and spatial awareness.

My kids Screen addiction is one of the worst things to come out of lock down

Children’s education isn’t just about the three Rs. My kids play Minecraft with their friends while on zoom, and it’s done wonders for their social skills. They’ve built huge realms with complex buildings and systems - not only are they learning logic skills and having an outlet for their creativity, but they’re learning to collaborate, organise, and how to deal with disagreements and resolve them, and that their actions have consequences.

My DDs are 9 and 11. I don't allow Tiktok because i don't think it's safe. I think Minecraft is great though. Good for spatial skills and creativity, also great for socialising since the March lockdown because they played with friends. I'm not as keen on Roblox but they do have it and also some other games. I do limit screen time too. I think Minecraft would be a good one to start with for your DD. You could play together to begin with.

Minecraft

I don't think Roblox is at all educational! But mine raft really is. My sons both know lots of different types of mineral etc and the spacial side of it is good as they're building in 3D. I think it's great BUT in equal moderation alongside reading, craft etc.

Our child learned to read playing Minecraft - we are Home Educators permanently not just for Covid and he struggled with reading - being able to communicate with his friends and read the direction etc were the spur to wanting to read.

He researches history and geography to look for buildings landscapes to build and often takes inspiration from learning he has done in day to day life to expand his minecraft skills.

He played Lego The Hobbit and this spurred him to start reading the book.

He owned his first device at 9 and we did not feel like we succumbed it was a natural progression in his development. He is now 11 and has a laptop and had a PS4 for Xmas. He is going to have a phone for his next birthday (12). We simply buy our children what they ask for (within reason of course) and he did not ask for devices until 9.

Minecraft is a great game and there are so many educational aspects to it, as well as it being incredibly creative. I don't see sitting and crafting with paper any different to spending time to build a model of your house in Minecraft. That before you get into redstone circuits, efficient mining patterns, building farms, mapping, and planning (if playing survival mode).

I'd happily get it for my son when I think he will be able to play it independently, and we can play together once I trust him not to ruin my stuff :p

DSs maths teacher used Minecraft to demonstrate some things during the last lockdown. I think there needs to be a balance but I do think some games develop creativity Minecraft and animal crossing included Personally I prefer books and lego but we live in the age of technology so have had to adapt my preferences

PS when I was at university ( over 20 years ago) the most prolific gamers I knew were all maths students at Cambridge so there may be something in them after all!

Dd has played Minecraft since she was 8 and still plays it and loves it at 16. It's fine by me. She's still had lots of hobbies and done volunteering (pre lockdown.) Did well in GCSEs. It's given her social opportunities with friends while at home. After she started playing it I found her maths got better. I'm sure this is pure coincidence but it demonstrates that it didn't do her maths any harm at least!

DS doesn't play Roblox but has spent hours on Minecraft. Like others have said it has plenty of educational value and it doesn't have to be an either or.

Meant to add...

Meeting on zoom &/or talking over a 'live' gaming platform is also fantastic if used/monitored well. My son is now 13yrs old & throughout the various lockdowns & periods of isolation, being able to connect with his friends in this way has been INVALUABLE for his mental health. I actually dread to think how he'd have coped otherwise.

It's all about balance in my opinion

There's definitely a balance to be found which is perfectly healthy for your child. It's brilliant that she's an avid reader & hasn't been drawn towards electrical games etc so far, but with the best will in the world, the pull will get stronger as she gets older & wants to integrate more with her peers.

As lots have said before me, Minecraft can be amazing & some schools even use it in an educational way as the kids are so enthusiastic about it.

My own son decided he wanted to be an architect when he was about 9yrs old as a result of playing Minecraft! He rapidly learnt about scale & space, 3D shape, properties of materials, simple electrical circuits, etc. He even made an exact scaled replica of our house & garden at one point! Hard not to be impressed by that.

I'm nit sure what you want from this, a medal?

It doesn't have to be all or nothing. Mi e have roblox, they also craft and read. As the parent you can limit the time.

Minecraft is a brilliant educational tool. It is on the school curriculum in progressive countries. It is also a lot of fun.

I can't understand why you would dismiss a social and creative resource without even doing the basic research to find out whether it would suit your daughter or not. I would also be wary of cutting off a means for social interaction at the moment, regardless of whether I was trying to impose an 'educational games only' rule or not.

You realise you can limit screen time right..? My older two have minecraft on their tablets. They are allowed an hour and a half at the moment and then the screen time limit kicks in and they go off and read or play. As they get older I will allow more time.
There is a happy medium between totally screen free and mindless screen addicted zombie. I think kids are put at a disadvantage if they're completely kept away from technology.

Not everything has to be educational!

Having said that, minecraft is great and my dc use it both for fun and as part of their education(eg, they were learning about the Romans and built a roman house on minecraft).

It is a shame that you think so little of your parenting skills that you feel if your dc has a tablet you won’t be able to control how much it is used.

There's middle ground @Pastasau

Some screen time is fine alongside traditional play