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Build your first structure in Minecraft

Build your first structure in Minecraft
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Build your first simple shelter in Minecraft using gathered blocks, practice placing and breaking blocks, adding a door, windows, and basic lighting.

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Step-by-step guide to build your first structure in Minecraft

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Minecraft | How to Build a Starter House with Mine Entrance | Tutorial

What you need
Adult supervision required, basic building blocks in your inventory like wood stone or dirt, door item, glass panes or any transparent block for windows, hand or pickaxe for breaking blocks, minecraft game, open minecraft world set to creative or survival, torches or lanterns for lighting

Step 1

Launch Minecraft and load or create a world in Creative or Survival mode.

Step 2

Walk to a flat spot where you want to build your shelter and clear a small area.

Step 3

Get at least 20 building blocks into your inventory by gathering nearby materials in Survival or selecting them in Creative.

Step 4

Place blocks in a 4x4 square on the ground to make the floor of your shelter.

Step 5

Build walls by stacking blocks around the floor edges at least three blocks high and leave a two block tall gap for a door.

Step 6

Place blocks across the top of the walls to make a roof that fully covers your shelter.

Step 7

Put a door into the two block tall gap to create an entrance you can open and close.

Step 8

Break one block from a wall to practice breaking blocks safely.

Step 9

Replace the broken block by placing the same block back into the wall to practice placing blocks.

Step 10

Put glass panes or transparent blocks into wall openings to make windows.

Step 11

Place torches or lanterns inside your shelter to add basic lighting and reduce dark spots.

Step 12

Share your finished creation on DIY.org

Final steps

You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!

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Help!?

What can I use if I don't have glass panes for the windows?

If you don't have glass panes, use transparent substitutes like stained glass, ice, or leaves when you 'Put glass panes or transparent blocks into wall openings to make windows'.

Why won't my door place or open properly?

Make sure you left a two block tall gap in the walls and place the door on the lower block of that gap so it attaches and can open and close as described in 'Put a door into the two block tall gap'.

How can I adapt this activity for younger or older kids?

For younger kids use Creative mode, choose one block type and make a smaller 3x3 floor with two-block-high walls to simplify the 'Place blocks in a 4x4 square' and 'Build walls... at least three blocks high' steps, while older kids can follow the full instructions and add more complex features.

How can we extend or personalize the shelter after finishing the basic build?

Customize your shelter by making patterned floors with different building blocks, adding glass panes and lanterns from the 'Put glass panes...' and 'Place torches or lanterns...' steps, building a fenced porch, or expanding the roof and then share your creation on DIY.org.

Watch videos on how to build your first structure in Minecraft

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ULTIMATE GUIDE To BUILDING in Minecraft

4 Videos

Facts about Minecraft building basics

🕒 A full Minecraft day-night cycle lasts about 20 minutes in real time, so you have a little time to build before mobs come out.

🛠️ Different tools speed things up: axes for wood, pickaxes for stone, and shovels for dirt — practice placing and breaking blocks!

🪵 Minecraft's world is made of blocks where each block represents a 1 m³ cube — your shelter is actually room-sized!

🔦 Torches and other light sources stop hostile mobs from spawning nearby, so lighting up is one of the best defenses.

🚪 You can craft 3 wooden doors from 6 wooden planks — a quick and cozy entrance for your first shelter.

How can my child build a simple first shelter in Minecraft?

Start by gathering basic blocks like wood planks, dirt, or cobblestone. Build a small 5x5 floor, raise three-block-high walls and add a roof. Leave a one-by-two gap for a wooden door and add window holes or glass panes. Place torches inside for lighting so hostile mobs won’t spawn. Let your child practice placing and breaking blocks to learn controls, and encourage trial-and-error.

What materials and tools do we need to build a basic Minecraft shelter?

You’ll need simple resources: wood logs or planks, dirt or cobblestone for walls, and slabs or extra blocks for the roof. Craft a wooden door, or use iron if available. Collect sand and smelt it for glass panes, and make torches from sticks and coal for lighting. Bring a crafting table, basic tools (wooden or stone pickaxe and axe), and food to restore health—these make building faster and safer.

What ages is building a Minecraft shelter suitable for?

Building in Minecraft suits many ages; children around six and up often handle basic controls and crafting with supervision. Younger kids (four to five) can join with a parent’s help, while ages eight to twelve can work more independently. Teenagers enjoy creative and technical challenges. Consider your child’s attention span, reading level, and screen-time limits, and supervise online or multiplayer sessions for safety.

What are the benefits of building a first shelter in Minecraft for my child?

Making a first shelter teaches planning, spatial reasoning, and fine motor skills as kids place and break blocks. It encourages creativity, resource management, and basic crafting knowledge, plus problem-solving when defending against night-time mobs. Cooperative building promotes communication and teamwork if families play together. The low-risk sandbox lets children experiment, build confidence, and learn patience through safe trial-and-error.
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Build your first structure in Minecraft. Activities for Kids.