Best Educational Videos for Kids | Boost Learning with Fun
Educational videos for kids can transform screen time into an exciting journey of discovery and learning.
Let’s explore the best resources and strategies for integrating these homeschool YouTube videos into your child’s early development, ensuring that learning remains fun and engaging for toddlers, preschoolers, and young children.
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Why Educational Videos?
Children learn best when they’re engaged and having fun. Educational videos capture kids’ curiosity, making complex concepts like phonics, math skills, and science games accessible and enjoyable.
These videos often feature vibrant animations, interactive elements, and relatable characters, helping children grasp new ideas effortlessly.
They are especially beneficial for parents and educators looking to reinforce early-childhood education concepts in a dynamic way.
Choosing Age-Appropriate Content
For toddlers and preschoolers, age-appropriate videos that focus on foundational skills are crucial.
Look for videos that promote fine motor skills, emotional development, and basic literacy.
Preschool learning videos should include phonics, letter recognition, and simple math games.
These videos not only help kids learn but also prepare them for kindergarten readiness.
Check out our favorite free homeschool curriculum too!
Top Educational Video Categories
- Phonics and Literacy: Videos that teach phonics and reading games help children develop strong language and literacy skills. These videos often include sing-alongs and rhyming activities that make learning to read fun and interactive.
- Math Skills: Math games for kids, such as counting, addition, subtraction, and fractions, are presented in a playful manner to encourage kids to explore numbers and problem-solving.
- Science and Exploration: Science games and exploration videos introduce children to the wonders of the natural world. Whether it’s learning about dinosaurs, planets, or simple experiments, these videos spark curiosity and a love for learning.
- Social and Emotional Development: Videos focusing on social skills, emotional development, and pretend play help children understand and manage their emotions, fostering better social interactions.
- Motor Skills and Crafts: Fine and gross motor skills are essential for young children. Videos that involve physical activities, puzzles, and crafts can help children develop these skills in a fun and engaging way.
Educational Kids Videos on YouTube
YouTube offers a plethora of educational content for homeschoolers, covering various subjects. Here are some of the best homeschooling resources:
- TED -Ed: Known for its engaging and thought-provoking educational videos, TED-Ed covers a wide range of topics, from science and history to riddles and logical puzzles. It’s perfect for older children and those who love to learn through storytelling.
- Mr Demaio: This channel features a teacher who makes learning fun with humorous and informative videos on science, history, and math. Mr. DeMaio’s engaging personality and creative teaching methods are a hit with kids.
- Peekaboo Kids: Aimed at preschoolers and young children, this channel offers colorful animations and catchy songs that teach basic concepts like the alphabet, numbers, and shapes. It’s a great resource for early learners.
- Homeschool Pop: Designed for homeschoolers, this channel covers a broad spectrum of subjects, including social studies, science, and language arts. The videos are crafted to be engaging and educational, making learning at home enjoyable.
Educational Science Videos
For science enthusiasts, these channels provide a comprehensive and entertaining homeschool science curriculum:
- Generation Genius: High-quality science lessons that are both educational and entertaining. With five free lessons available, it provides a great introduction to various scientific concepts. Check out our honest Generation Genius review to see why we love it.
- Horrible Science: Based on the popular book series, this channel presents science in a humorous and engaging way, making complex topics accessible to kids.
- Crash Course: Created by John and Hank Green, CrashCourse provides detailed, engaging videos on a wide range of subjects, including biology, chemistry, and physics. The content is suited for older children and teens.
- Mark Rober: A former NASA engineer, Mark Rober creates videos that explain scientific concepts through exciting experiments and inventions. His channel is perfect for curious minds who love hands-on learning.
- Sprice Machines: This channel showcases elaborate Rube Goldberg machines and explains the physics behind them. It’s a fun way to learn about engineering and problem-solving.
- Joseph’s Machines: Similar to Sprice Machines, Joseph’s channel features intricate and humorous Rube Goldberg machines, teaching kids about cause and effect in a playful manner.
- The King of Random: Known for its fun and sometimes crazy experiments, this channel explores a wide range of scientific phenomena, encouraging kids to think creatively and scientifically.
- Operation Ouch: Run by twin doctors, this channel delves into the human body and medical science, making it fascinating and understandable for kids.
- Sick Science: Steve Spangler’s channel focuses on simple yet mind-blowing science experiments that kids can try at home, promoting hands-on learning.
- Physics Girl: Dianna Cowern explores the wonders of physics with engaging demonstrations and explanations, making complex concepts approachable for kids.
- Smarter Everyday: Destin Sandlin takes viewers on a journey to learn something new in every video, often focusing on physics and engineering. His infectious curiosity makes learning exciting.
- Sci Show: Hosted by Hank Green and other science enthusiasts, SciShow covers a vast array of scientific topics in an engaging and informative manner.
History Shows for Kids
Add these history-focused channels to the best homeschool history curriculum:
- Horrible Histories: This channel brings history to life with hilarious sketches and songs based on the beloved book series. It’s perfect for making history fun and memorable.
- Oversimplified History: This channel provides humorous and simplified animations of historical events, making them easy to understand and entertaining.
- Crashcourse: In addition to science, CrashCourse offers comprehensive and engaging history lessons, perfect for older kids and teens.
- 60 Second Histories: This channel offers quick, informative videos that cover historical events and figures in just 60 seconds, making it perfect for short attention spans.
Best Geography YouTube Channels
Explore the world with these geography channels and add them to the best homeschool geography curriculum:
- National Geographic Kids: This channel offers stunning visuals and interesting facts about wildlife, geography, and cultures from around the world, inspiring a love for exploration.
- Snake Discovery: Learn about reptiles and their habitats with this engaging and educational channel, which is perfect for kids who love animals.
- Brave Wilderness: Host Coyote Peterson takes kids on thrilling adventures to discover wildlife and natural wonders, encouraging a passion for the outdoors.
- Wild Kratts: Combining animation and live-action, this series follows the Kratt brothers as they explore the animal kingdom, teaching kids about different species and ecosystems.
If you are looking for the best homeschool geography curriculum check out our recent post.
Not channels but I couldn’t have the best kids’ YouTube channels without adding these brilliant educational cartoons
- Animaniacs Learn the States of America Song (see our favorite post on fun ways to learn the 50 States)
- Nations of the World Song
- Animaniacs Presidents Song
Brilliant Educational Cartoons
Not channels, but these educational cartoons are must-watch:
- Animaniacs Learn the States of America Song: A really fun way to learn the 50 States.
- Nations of the World Song: This song teaches kids about different countries around the world.
- Animaniacs Presidents Song: A humorous and memorable way to learn about U.S. presidents.
Best YouTube Channels for Drawing
Inspire creativity with these art channels:
- Art For Kids Hub: This channel offers step-by-step drawing tutorials that are easy to follow, making it perfect for kids of all ages.
- 5 minute crafts: While not exclusively for kids, this channel provides a variety of simple and fun craft ideas that children can enjoy.
- Bob Ross: Known for his calming voice and beautiful landscapes, Bob Ross’s painting tutorials can inspire kids to pick up a brush and create their own masterpieces.
If you are looking for more inspiration check out our post on the best homeschool art curriculum.
Educational Videos for Kindergarten
Perfect for kindergarten readiness, these channels provide foundational learning:
- Super Wings: This animated series follows planes that deliver packages around the world, teaching kids about geography and problem-solving.
- Blippi: Blippi’s energetic and educational videos cover a wide range of topics, from colors and shapes to trips to the zoo.
- PBS Kids: Home to beloved shows like “Arthur” and “Curious George,” PBS Kids offers educational content that promotes literacy, math, and social skills.
- Alpha Blocks: This animated series uses charming letter characters to teach phonics and early reading skills in a fun and engaging way.
- Sesame Street: A timeless classic, “Sesame Street” combines humor, music, and educational content to teach kids about letters, numbers, and social skills.
Kids Learning Videos
These channels cover a broad range of topics to enhance learning:
- Steve and Maggie: This channel features fun and interactive videos that teach English through stories and songs, perfect for young learners.
- Story Bots: Known for their catchy songs and colorful animations, StoryBots answer kids’ big questions about the world, making learning fun and memorable.
Last Updated on 8 July 2024 by Clare Brown
Great to have this list as a resource. I also think that just to google something we wouldn’t normally (like how to…whatever) is valuable too helping those kids who struggle with print or academics to learn in more visual ways.
I have found with subjects such as art and history in particular for my son a visual aid is just brilliant. 🙂