If you don't know what Minecraft is, you probably do not have children in your life, at all, and/or you have never been on the Internet.

I play a lot of Minecraft in therapy (and since it's actually pretty fun, I consequently play a lot of Minecraft outside of therapy, too). I have my own world that some of my kids like to add to, or some kids prefer to make their own. You might think that two people looking at a computer screen is not great for communication, but Minecraft actually facilitates constant talking: problem-solving, questions, comments, jokes. Also cries of despair.

Minecraft can be quite challenging, depending on what you are trying to accomplish, and I often draw parallels for kids between Minecraft challenges and how these are similar to the challenges faced in stuttering.

Here are some of my favorite Minecraft-stuttering principles.

Sometimes something comes at you from out of nowhere and just blows up all your hard work and efforts. How do you handle that?

Tools are important and extremely useful, but they break easily.

Exploring can be dangerous and scary, but you have to go for it if you want what's out there.

There is no manual.

Patience. Creating amazing things takes lots and lots and lots of patience.

On that same note, hard work. You need to persevere to build something awesome.

Friends are important. They will help you.

Sometimes you have to deal with griefers. This is discouraging, frustrating, and even hurtful. There often is no easy solution. What do you do?

Make sure your oxygen bar is full. Keep an eye on your breath.

And, of course...

Blocks.

Sometimes, we play IRL Minecraft too!