Why I Use Roblox To Teach Kids Computer Skills

A teacher once told me something that stuck with me:

"Kids today don't know how to use computers."

They know how to use iPads.

They know how to swipe, tap, and watch.

But the basic skills that used to be second nature for anyone who grew up on Windows or Mac just aren't there.

Copy and paste.

Saving a file.

Dragging and dropping.

Web browsers.

Shortcuts.

Kids don't know any of it.

And it isn't because they're not smart.

It's because the devices they use every day are designed for consumption, not creation.

Nobody in an office works on an iPad for a reason.

So for years, I tried to teach kids computers and coding the traditional way.

Typing.

Scratch.

Small exercises.

Basic scripts.

It kind of worked.

But it was always an uphill battle.

Then I discovered the most effective way to teach kids computer skills:

Roblox.

Just saying the word "Roblox" changes the energy in the room.

Instant attention.

Instant motivation.

Kids don't care about writing a sentence in Word and copying and pasting it onto a new line.

That feels like homework.

That feels like work.

But they care deeply about making their own game in Roblox Studio.

If I tell a group of kids to press a button to create a 3D block, change its color, move it around, scale it up, rotate it, and place it in a world they control, they're completely engaged.

Now I can teach the exact same skills:

Select

Duplicate

Copy

Paste

Save

But instead of moving text around in a document, they're building platforms, stairs, walls, and lava pits.

And instead of practicing shortcuts in a vacuum, they're unlocking creative power.

Roblox Studio is a perfect teaching environment because it rewards real computer skills with visible results.

Kids learn the basics not because they're told to, but because they want to.

In one of my classes, I had 18 kids aged 8 to 13 who had only ever used iPads.

By the end of five days, they were recording video tutorials explaining how to build and publish a game in Roblox Studio.

That's a huge shift.

Not because they're future engineers.

Not because they'll get jobs in tech.

But because they've gone from being passive consumers to active creators.

They've experienced what it feels like to control technology instead of just using it.

And here's the interesting part.

Older generations learned computers through tools like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint because those were the tools adults used in the real world.

Kids today don't see those applications as meaningful.

They see them as tasks or chores that adults do for work.

But Roblox is meaningful to them.

It's fun.

It's social.

It's highly motivating.

So if the goal is to teach skills, the context matters more than the content.

The same copy-paste shortcut is mind-numbing in Word but magical in Roblox Studio.

For kids today, Roblox isn't just a game.

It's a gateway to understanding computers.

It's a lab where they can experiment, break things, and build something new.

And if we want to help them become creators, not just consumers, we have to meet them in the world they already care about.