The Best Educational YouTube Channels

The Best Educational YouTube Channels

Look, I get it. Nobody wants their kids to stare blankly at screens all day. As a homeschool family, we try to stay off screens as much as we possibly can during the school week. 

(And PS. you want some screen-free options, check out our list of the best subscription boxes or this Ultimate Guide to Intentional Gifts for Kids which is chalk full of incredible options to keep kids entertained – screen-free!) 

But also? Desperate times call for desperate measures.

In addition to the virus sweeping the nation, I gave birth several weeks ago. Our newest family member is precious and wonderful – and completely exhausting. So whether you’re lacking sleep and feeding a newborn all day or you just desperately need a shower or 15 minutes to cook a meal, sometimes mama needs a short break. And you don’t have to feel bad about it for even one second!

There is some really incredible content on YouTube right now that will keep your kids entertained and learning – no obnoxious characters/theme songs required! So, here’s a list of our 10 favorite educational YouTube channels.


The Best Educational YouTube Channels

The Best Educational YouTube Channels

The Best Educational YouTube Channels - Cassie Stephens Art

Cassie Stephens YouTube

Cassie Stephens is an art teacher from Tennessee who has basically become a second teacher in our homeschool. She has always had creative projects that we love, but lately she has been posting videos that follow a weekly theme with supplies you probably already have at home. So, for ‘Pirate Week’, we made a pirate ship collage, built a salt dough treasure chest, drew a treasure map, and made alligator hand puppets. 

The Best Educational YouTube Channels - Cincinnati Zoo

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens

While the zoo is closed, they are posting “Home Safari” videos. Basically, their zookeepers and educator are giving keeper chats while you watch the animals up close. We loved the chats about the porcupine named Rico and the ocelot Sihil. Fascinating!

Also check out other zoos creating great content like Shedd Aquarium, Dallas Zoo, STLZooTube, and Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

The Best Educational YouTube Channels - Townsends

Townsends

For history, we love watching Towsends’ 18th Century Cooking videos. As he cooks, he shares information about the process of cooking and little tidbits about life in the 18th century. It’s like going to a historical reenactment camp in the middle of your living room!

The Best Educational YouTube Channels - Smarter Every Day

Smarter Every Day

Dustin from Smarter Every Day is probably one of the smartest guys on the internet. These videos are geared towards a slightly older audience, but our kids love watching them. They might tour a rocket factory, make a golf ball explode in slow motion, or discover the science behind riding a backwards bicycle.

The Best Educational YouTube Channels - National Geographic Kids

National Geographic Kids YouTube

Of course, National Geographic is known for their incredible content and Nat Geo Kids is no exception. Animal yoga, Weird but Cool facts about animals, and animal jokes are just some of the things you’ll find on their channel. The videos are usually just short snippets, but they are great for a quick brain break in the middle of the day.

The Best Educational YouTube Channels - Numberblocks

Numberblocks YouTube

If you have a toddler through Kindergartener, you must check out Numberblocks. This series produced by BBC (so you may have to explain why it’s called “maths”) is fabulous. Your toddlers won’t even realize they’re learning about number recognition, counting, and number sense while Kindergarteners are picking up valuable lessons on addition, subtraction, skip counting, and even beginning multiplication. It is a gold mine.

The Best Educational YouTube Channels - Cosmic Kids Yoga

Cosmic Kids Yoga

If your littles and elementary kids need a little extra movement, we highly recommend Cosmic Kids Yoga. It’s yoga through storytelling that will actually get kids off the couch and moving along. And let me tell you – it’s a work out! There’s a lot of movement in kid’s yoga, so if you join them you’ll probably break a sweat. (Check out the “playlists” to find a curated list of videos for your kid’s age group.)

The Best Educational YouTube Channels - Olympic YouTube

Olympic Channel YouTube

Is your family bummed that the Olympics have been postponed? Ours definitely is. But, we’re still getting our fix with the Olympic YouTube channel. I have always loved the videos they post highlighting different “Top 10” moments and the music behind the routines. Lately they have been posting full replays of past Olympics. You can even watch some events you may have missed during the live Olympics like table tennis or curling.

The Best Educational YouTube Channels - Great Big Story YouTube Channel

Great Big Story YouTube

This recommendation comes with an asterisk because I have to watch these videos before my kids to screen for inappropriate content. Not that any of it is really bad, but I wouldn’t share all of it with my young kids. Their videos are extremely well done and feature very interesting stories from around the world. We have watched the process of making exotic cheeses, professions passed down through generations like handmade Japanese brushes and fishing on stilts, and the origins of nostalgic treats like Bagel Bites and Hot Pockets.

The Best Educational YouTube Channels - MoMA

The Museum of Modern Art

Perhaps my favorite channel to watch with the kids is MoMA. Their series ‘At the Museum’ is one of my favorite things to watch of all time. They also show the restoration and conservation of famous works of art and how to paint like artists such as Jackson Pollock and Pablo Picasso. It makes me wish I took some art history classes in college. (And my daughter is now begging me to take her to an art museum – total win!)


I hope your family enjoys some of those educational YouTube channels! Let me know if the comments if your family has any other favorites.

The Best Educational YouTube Channels

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