The Core Tech Skills EVERY Kid Needs in 2026
By Michael Thoennes, Motif Class Founder
Tech is always changing, and every technology advances at different paces. How do students today stay up to speed while not skipping fundamental skills?
I work with students, introducing them to advanced STEM tools and concepts, but have noticed some gaps in the basics. This list addresses a few!
1. Computer Basics
Many kids may be the family expert when it comes to smart phones, but do they know their way around a desktop? From what I’ve seen in the classroom, it’s pretty uncommon. However, that doesn’t have to be the case!
Students risk being at a disadvantage when entering the workforce where computer workstations haven’t fundamentally changed in decades (i.e. mouse, keyboard, and OS). A significant percentage of students I work with avoid using the mouse and exclusively use the trackpad on our classroom laptops. The catch is trackpads on desktop computers are rare, so let’s get our kids familiar with a mouse!
Basic typing skills will remain important, even with voice-to-text technology making leaps and bounds recently. You can’t really talk out loud in many academic and workplace atmospheres.
2. AI Chatbots
Chatbots are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to artificial intelligence. Even so, it’s the AI most of us will interact with. They’re fundamental to the future of learning, and are the next stage of online search. These tools have changed how we gather information, and they’re rapidly advancing!
As with any online tool, there are definite safety concerns, so proceed with caution and oversight. That said, if completely avoided, it may leave your student less equipped than their peers.
3. Digital Safety
Speaking of safety, the digital world is full of risks that can be avoided through awareness and basic training. Adults may know about scam emails and computer viruses, but kids are bound to run into them at some point, and it’s up to us to prepare them. Something as simple as knowing not to plug in a flash drive they found on the ground is knowledge that needs to be learned.
Another large category of online safety is simply knowing what not to share on social media (and why!). Sharing too much personal info can make you a target, especially with the “checking in” feature.
All these reasons and more are why we need to teach our kids safe digital habits. Not to mention the fact that cybersecurity is a lucrative and in-demand career field.
4. Spotting Reliable Information
AI-generated images, video, audio, and of course, written content have saturated the internet. Many kids scroll through short-form content, and some industry sources estimate that more than half of what they see now involves some level of AI generation.
Chatbots are known to make mistakes, and AI-generated media is becoming more and more realistic. In addition to people flat out sharing misinformation, whether knowingly or not, it’s important that the malleable minds of our youth are aware of these truths and taught to fact check sources and take in information cautiously.
5. Productivity Tools
Many students are exposed to Google Workspace at school, though it varies. These skills are important to reinforce and expand upon. It will give them a huge leg up when they enter college and the workforce.
Also, one shouldn’t assume Google skills translate perfectly to Microsoft 365. Create opportunities for them to experiment with Excel, Word, and PowerPoint to become “multi-lingual” with productivity tools.
Students should also get experience with video conferencing (both Zoom and Google Meet), as well as the nuances between Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive.
6. File Management
Yes, kids should know how to type in Microsoft Word, but they also need to know how to save their file in the correct folder. Most of the brand-new students I work with cannot locate their flash drive in the file explorer. They need to know the difference between the .docx project file and an exported .pdf file.
Once they learn the basics, they should be shown how to manage storage space on the hard drive. They should be aware of file sizes and storage limits, and that once a hard drive gets close to full, the computer can slow down and may even crash.
7. Connectivity
Many devices make wireless connections relatively painless, but there are always exceptions. That’s why understanding Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections, and how to troubleshoot them, will be a helpful skill.
Still, even as more devices go wireless, high-performance and secure applications continue to rely on wired connections. Kids should be taught that some cables carry video, some carry audio, some transfer files, and some are multipurpose. The concept of adapters should be known too. This knowledge could really come in handy later.
You may be surprised that my list doesn’t contain things like coding or robotics. After working with students over the past eight years in STEM, I believe these are the core tech skills EVERY kid will need. More advanced skills are encouraged, but everyone should start with these!