Digital transformation is an integral element of day-to-day life in the modern age. Children’s digital competences have increased dramatically in the last decade, with technology presenting a popular and almost necessary medium for children’s participation, socialisation, exploration, learning and play. As children hone toward technology for leisure, they’re exposed to endless advanced algorithms that are designed to capture – and retain – children’s attention through customised content that targets each individual child. Children are now prone to favour interaction with digital platforms over traditional forms of learning and exploration. This places significant pressure on educators who must compete with digital technology to retain children’s attention, often facing challenges where children become bored or distracted during traditional repetitive learning methods required to reinforce key concepts. This highlights a need to apply innovative teaching practices that reinforce learned concepts in a way that is interesting to children. This can be achieved via gamification and virtual practice-based learning (PBL) on platforms that are familiar to, and popular amongst school-aged children, such as Minecraft. Developed in 2016, Minecraft Education Edition (MEE) is an educational extension of the popular video game. It offers a game-based learning platform that enhances STEM skill development, while promoting problem solving. MEE has the capacity to reinforce previous learning via a virtual PBL environment.

This paper discusses the development of the HealthCraft Minecraft World, as part of the Erasmus+ HealthCraft project. The project focuses on development of innovative educational resources designed to promote healthy habits in children aged 8-12 years through digital mediums and using gamification techniques. The key outputs present core modules, including:
1) Healthy Eating;
2) Physical Activity;
3) Quality Sleep; and
4) Healthy Minds, initially in a series of short child-friendly videos and quizzes.

The learning acquired from the video library is then reinforced within custom-designed Minecraft Worlds designed for each of the modules. This allows children to apply the skills acquired from watching the videos, in a virtual PBL environment through challenges, puzzles, quests and other problem-solving activities. For children, the HealthCraft Minecraft World facilitates immersion, going beyond the scope of traditional classroom techniques to highlight the importance of good nutrition, physical fitness, quality sleep, mental well-being and emotional literacy. For children, HealthCraft Minecraft World provides a new interactive medium for learning, that promotes digital literacy and problem-solving skills. For educators the HealthCraft Minecraft World provides an innovative educational resource that utilises a platform that children find inviting, are familiar with, and enjoy. Project outputs are being user tested with over 400 children in schools across the EU. Positive feedback from teachers and children indicates that the digital and gamification aspects of the resources are resulting in greater comprehension of health education learning outcomes.

Keywords: Healthy habits, practice-based learning, gamification, Minecraft, nutrition, physical activity, quality sleep, mental well-being, digital resources, digital learning.