Screenless Minecraft Activity with Papercraft

Minecraft is a huge brand and very popular among kids of all ages.  My boys (ages 5, 7 & 15) love it and I am perfectly happy for them to play Minecraft as it is a very creative game.

But sometimes I like them not to play on screens and when that is the case, they seem to still use Minecraft in their imaginative play.  We discovered Minecraft Papercrafts. I would definitely recommend them as a screenless Minecraft activity.  The boxy nature of Minecraft makes it perfect for creating the worlds using cardboard boxes and figures.


There are lots of other merchanise available for Minecraft fans, ranging from books to plastic figurines, life-size foam weapons (check out our awesome glow-in-the-dark Minecraft Diamond Sword) and stationary.

The game is hugely popular so if your 8 year old doesn't play Minecraft you may want to read our Guide for Concerned Parents.

• See also: Minecraft Gift Ideas | Making Real World Minecraft

Minecraft Papercraft Snow Biome

Minecraft Biomes are different terrains and regions in the Minecraft world with varying geographical features.  Some biomes include snow, savannah, forest, etc.  The Overworld is the regular player world and includes a wide range of biomes, there are also The Nether and The End (Enderworld) worlds.




The Papercraft series comes in a variety of biomes.  We got the Snow Biome, which contained a variety of block types - ice, snow, snowcapped rock and wood. The 48-piece set includes the Wolf and Snowman.

• More Minecraft Papercraft Sets available on Amazon USA / UK

Construction

The set is recommended for 6+ and I felt it was about right. My nearly 5 year old could make the blocks with some assistance, whilst my 7 year old easily constructed them.  The figures were a little more fiddly, especially the Wolf with smaller parts.  Once constructed the cardboard blocks and figures are surprisingly sturdy. The pack came with some tape (Minecraft Mortar) but we didn't need it to build the pieces.

I would recommend some adult / big kid help to press the templates out of the cardboard sheets. My son tore a piece of the Wolf when he tried to press out the shape, but we were able to fix it using the Minecraft Mortar.

It took us a good 30 min to build the whole set and ended up with a satisfactory number of blocks to make different layouts.



My son also got some plastic Minecraft figures and blocks, and although it is not to the same scale, he enjoyed using them in his game with the Papercraft set.

There are lots of other sets available and I think they make fantastic birthday / Christmas gifts for a young minecraft fan. Other options include:

• Hostile Mobs
• Animal Mobs
• Shelter Set
• Minecart Set
• Overworld Set

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• How Minecraft Teaches Computational Thinking
• Controlling Minecraft with SAM Labs Electronics
• Minecraft Mods (A Parents Guide)
• Make your own Real World Minecraft with IKEA Boxes (A Parents Guide)