Special Interest Alternative {Turning Off MineCraft Without A Fight}

Special Interests, I love them & hate them all at the same time! I'm happy there are things that he gets into but sometimes wish it were something other than video games. Yeah, there are other things he has an intense interest in but video games over shadows everything; eating, sleeping, school, even going to the bathroom. There are very few things that work when trying to get his mind off a game he is into, right now MineCraft, but we have found one thing! (Other than playing like we are characters from video games on the trampoline & do battle)

Anything I see that says MineCraft get a second look. While we try not to play into it to much because he will go overboard if you don't keep a pretty close eye on him. PaperCraft is an app for the iPhone & iPod Touch. (Not sure about iPad but probably that too) PaperCraft allows you to design your own MineCraft blocks, chests, guys (or what ever they are called), & anything else then you can print them out on paper. The app lays the 3D Mincraft object flat & gives easy to cut out & fold directions so you build it out of paper! It's pretty awesome! The one we downloaded is called Papercrafts for Minecraft & its free. There are many other including the official MineCraft PaperCraft Studio that costs $3.99. Now that I know what it is & how great it is we will probably be buying that one soon. It's a small win but a win I'll happily take to see him smiling & giggling to show us these little figures he has cut out, folded, & sometimes taped together. Before I let him download the app but after he had studied the info page for the app he even cut out & folded his own minecraft guy & was so proud of himself! I couldn't help but download it! When he is good, does something he is supposed to do, or is rewarded in anyway it's usually with video game time. (Usually on his iPod Touch) There are many times when he doesn't even play minecraft he just designs objects & then asks to print them out. I print out 5 or 10 & then the iPod gets put away by his own hand without me telling him to! That's a win!

I love his face while he is crafting! That's a happy kid!

7 comments:

  1. Papercraft: absolutely amazing idea! I'll have to find an alternative for our Kindle Fire. My 9-year-old son (with Aspergers) plays Minecraft on the trampoline with the foam pickaxe and sword we ordered from ThinkGeek. He has a manila envelope of "real life" Minecraft objects and characters that he drew and cut out (okay, I cut them out...).

    Our boys are getting their creative juices flowing AND getting physical exercise, even though their minds are still firmly planted in Minecraft world.

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    1. Thats awesome! I'm so happy I'm not the only one with kids out there on the trampoline playing minecraft. Everytime I play with them on the trampoline I feel my age though! My knees + Trampoline = You Fat Butt is To Old For A Trampoline.

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  3. That is awesome!! Bug's fascination aside from video games or watching you tube videos on his latest obsession (now its Pacific Rim) he draws - and he lights up when he draws and is so proud. I have notebooks full of his drawings!!

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    1. Thats awesome! Jayden has books full as well. I like to go back through them after 1 to many glasses of wine & complain about how they are growing up to fast & where the time has gone....yeah, so I no longer have a man card but hey, I'm pretty sure it got taken away when I opened a Pinterest account anyway. Thanks for reading!

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