All Activities

Survive your first night in minecraft

Survive your first night in minecraft
Green highlight

Play Minecraft to survive your first night by collecting wood, crafting basic tools, building a shelter, and avoiding monsters while learning resource management.

Orange shooting star
Background blob
Challenge Image
Skill Badge
Table of contents

Step-by-step guide to survive your first night in Minecraft

0:00/0:00

Here at SafeTube, we're on a mission to create a safer and more delightful internet. 😊

The Minecraft Survival Guide â–« Surviving Your First Night! (1.13 Lets Play / Tutorial) [Part 1]

What you need
Minecraft, adult supervision required

Step 1

Launch Minecraft and start a new Survival world with default settings.

Step 2

Look around and run to the nearest trees and punch them until you have at least 10 logs.

Step 3

Open your inventory and put each log into the crafting area to turn them into wooden planks.

Step 4

Use four wooden planks in the crafting area to craft a crafting table.

Step 5

Place the crafting table on the ground next to where you are standing.

Step 6

Use the crafting table to make sticks by placing two wooden planks one above the other.

Step 7

Use sticks and wooden planks at the crafting table to craft a wooden pickaxe.

Step 8

Find a nearby hill or dig a small staircase down and use your wooden pickaxe to mine at least 8 cobblestone blocks.

Step 9

Build a small enclosed shelter at least 3 blocks wide 3 blocks deep and 2 blocks tall using cobblestone or wooden planks.

Step 10

Place a furnace inside your shelter on the floor.

Step 11

Put one log into the top slot of the furnace and use wooden planks as fuel to smelt the log into charcoal.

Step 12

Craft torches by combining one charcoal and one stick per torch until you have at least eight torches.

Step 13

Place torches inside your shelter to light it so monsters cannot spawn inside.

Step 14

Close the shelter entrance by placing extra blocks in the doorway before it gets dark to keep monsters out.

Step 15

Take a screenshot or photo of your shelter and share your finished creation on DIY.org.

Help!?

What can I use instead of cobblestone if I can't find stone to mine?

You can use wooden planks made from the logs you collect to build the 3x3x2 shelter since the instructions allow cobblestone or wooden planks.

What should I do if I don't finish mining 8 cobblestone before it gets dark?

Quickly dig a small staircase down (as the instructions suggest) and hollow out a 3x3x2 room with your wooden pickaxe, then close the doorway with extra blocks to keep monsters out before night falls.

How can I change this challenge for younger or older kids?

For younger kids, simplify to a 2x2x2 wooden-plank shelter and aim for 4 torches, while older kids can craft a wooden door, upgrade to stone tools after mining cobblestone, or hunt for coal to make torches instead of producing charcoal.

How can we personalize or improve our shelter before sharing the screenshot on DIY.org?

Add a wooden door (crafted from planks), smelt sand into glass in the furnace for windows, place a chest and signs inside, and arrange torches for better lighting before taking the screenshot to post on DIY.org.

Watch videos on how to survive your first night in Minecraft

0:00/0:00

Here at SafeTube, we're on a mission to create a safer and more delightful internet. 😊

Minecraft Tutorials - 01 - How to Survive your First Night

4 Videos
Minecraft Tutorials - 01 - How to Survive your First Night

Minecraft Tutorials - 01 - How to Survive your First Night

Minecraft Tutorials - E01 How to Survive your First Night (UPDATED!)

Minecraft Tutorials - E01 How to Survive your First Night (UPDATED!)

Minecraft How to Survive Your First Night - Survive & Thrive 2024 - EP 1

Minecraft How to Survive Your First Night - Survive & Thrive 2024 - EP 1

Surviving Your First Night! â–« Minecraft Survival Guide (1.18 Tutorial Let's Play) [S2 Ep.1]

Surviving Your First Night! â–« Minecraft Survival Guide (1.18 Tutorial Let's Play) [S2 Ep.1]

Facts about Minecraft survival basics

🌳 One log turns into 4 wooden planks — enough to start a crafting table and build a quick shelter!

🧰 A crafting table is made from 4 planks (2x2) and unlocks almost all the game's recipes.

🔥 Torches stop hostile mobs from spawning nearby and are crafted from 1 stick + 1 coal or charcoal.

💥 The Creeper's odd shape came from a coding mistake when Minecraft's creator was making a pig — and it became an iconic enemy.

🚀 Minecraft is one of the best-selling video games ever, and surviving your first night is a milestone for millions of players.

How do I survive my first night in Minecraft step by step?

To survive your first night in Minecraft, start by punching trees to collect wood, craft a crafting table and wooden tools, then mine stone for stronger tools. Gather food, make torches from coal or charcoal, and build a small shelter with walls and a roof before sunset. If you find sheep, craft a bed to skip night. Stay inside after dark or light an exit; avoid mobs until you’re better armed.

What materials do I need to survive the first night in Minecraft?

You’ll need a device running Minecraft (PC, console, or tablet) and the game itself. In-game resources: wood (logs), crafting table, sticks, basic tools (wooden pickaxe), building blocks, food (apples, meat), a light source (coal or charcoal for torches), and optional wool for a bed. For younger players, headphones, parental controls, and an adult to help with settings are useful.

What ages is surviving the first night in Minecraft suitable for?

This activity suits children roughly ages 7 and up who can use basic controls and follow simple instructions. Younger kids (4–6) can join with hands-on help from an adult or older sibling. Consider maturity, reading level, and ability to follow safety rules online. Enable parental controls and start in single-player or peaceful mode to make the first-night experience less stressful.

How can I keep my child safe while they play Minecraft for the first night?

Keep your child safe by using single-player or peaceful mode, turning off chat and multiplayer, and enabling parental controls on the platform. Set a time limit and sit with them for the first session to teach crafting and avoid risky behavior. Remind kids not to share personal information online, and encourage cooperative play with family to make learning fun and secure.

Ready to create?

Make

To create a safe space for kid creators worldwide!

Create

Vibe Coding

Kids GPT

All Tools

Kibu

Learn

Worksheets

Courses

Skills

Resources

SafeTube

Blog

FAQ

Pricing

Account

Log-in

Sign-up

Data Deletion

Company

About

Community Guidelines

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

2025, URSOR LIMITED. All rights reserved. DIY is in no way affiliated with Minecraft™, Mojang, Microsoft, Roblox™ or YouTube. LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO® Group which does not sponsor, endorse or authorize this website or event. Made with love in San Francisco.