I did not include any channels for toddlers or early elementary. Because of the width of YouTube, kids can come across crazy things on YouTube! For even more safety, watch the following videos on the channel’s website or YouTube Kids instead of YouTube. Learn in Color is not affiliated with any of the channels below.
The Best Educational Youtube Channels for Kids
Some of the greatest resources youtube has to offer to help your child continue learning or spark their interest in a new topic! Learn alongside some of the greatest entertainers and researchers virtually!
Late Elementary
These fun tutorials are great for teaching kids how to draw. They have several playlists dedicated to certain subjects – spring projects, Dr. Seuss projects, and more.
Watch the HowStuffWorks team explain everyday science to viewers in these short and easy to understand videos that will encourage curiosity about the world we live in!
This channel is meant to be supplemental to your current studies, providing easy to understand videos on all sorts of concepts and topics.
A channel completely focused on grade school science and one that approaches each of topics in such an engaging way! Learn about everything from astronomy to engineering!
Learn vocabulary through hip hop with these youtube videos for all grades!
Mya shares all sorts of educational tricks, crafts, and songs in these short and entertaining videos. Kids will be inspired to do the same!
The Houston Zoo’s youtube channel has been praised for the way it documents the animals and facilities in an educational and informational way. Even if you can’t visit it in real life, you can virtually while also learning all about the creatures that inhabit it!
These brief videos discuss all sorts of topics and provide helpful information to students studying on their own or hoping for extra help in their current studies.
A channel dedicated to asking all the possible questions about our vast planet. Some questions are funny possibilities while others are things all students should be considering.
For kids interested in space, NASA has a variety of great videos to get excited about the idea of space.
Explore all sorts of educational topics from cool science to interesting animals in these short, fact-filled, and most importantly, entertaining videos!
Explore all sorts of questions that you’ve been curious about in these entertaining and easily understood videos brought to you by the experts!
Learn about the important periods and moments in our world history through these animated videos!
Amy Poehler and Meredith Walker put together this channel to inspire kids to ask about the facts, talk through their ideas, and learn new skills. Their videos are directed towards all ages.
Answering questions about science, demonstrating different experiments, and hosting all kinds of guests to get your kids thinking about the world around them. These entertaining videos are sure to spark their interest!
The Chief Curiosity Correspondent of the Field Museum in Chicago brings you some of the most interesting videos that are bound to spark interest in the world around you!
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered
These 5-15 minute videos are for those who love history and are interested in the bits and pieces we don’t always hear about.
Follow the Backyard Scientist as he tests at-home experiments and creations, encouraging kids to take an interest in learning!
Another one of my favorite resources for educational TV is Curiosity Stream, which is only $2.99/month or $20 for a whole year. They have such a wide variety of shows for kids! It’s like an educational Netflix. 🙂
Middle/High School
This channel is dedicated to “making science make sense”. Watch videos on all sorts of scientific topics, most current to what’s going on in the world today. They have some sex-related videos that some parents might not be comfortable with, but others like the Periodic Table song are great.
These entertaining videos offer as much information for teachers as they do students and they do so in an entertaining and engaging way! This channel was created by Hank and John Green who also host Vlogbrothers and SciShow.
Learn about how stuff works! This team explores all things from science to food, pushing viewers to love to learn!
This channel is definitely geared more towards high schoolers with the heavy amount and higher levels of information provided in each video. Though, this channel is such a great resource for those struggling to understand topics or looking to study for standardized tests in a more interactive way!
Mike Likes Science (Coma Niddy)
Mike educates in a unique way; through song! Tune into his science-based music videos to learn through a different lens!
These videos approach all aspects of physics and answer the many questions surrounding the scientific study in just a few minutes!
This NPR sponsored youtube channel uses its platform to answer viewer’s questions about the world of science and dip deep into some of the great universal unknowns.
- Above the Noise – Keep up with trending news topics and approach them with a fresh perspective through these thought provoking videos.
- America from Scratch? – This channel thinks through what would be different if our country was created today rather than 250 years ago. These interesting videos prompt viewers to think deeply about the nation they live in.
- PBS Eons – Learn about the history of our very own planet from the early ages to the end of our most recent Ice Age!
- It’s Okay to be Smart – New science videos are shared every week and hosted by Joe Hanson, Ph.D.!
- Storied – A channel focusing on the arts and humanities with a specific focus on mythology and literature.
- Physics Girl – Watch experiments and demonstrations in the real of physical sciences on this channel.
Get answers to all the questions you have about the world in these fact-filled videos brought to you by the experts! SciShow Space and SciShow Psych are brought to you by some of the same hosts to answer all your questions about those specific fields!
Learn all about history and mythology through these brief informational videos full of captivating graphics and even more interesting facts!
Everyone is familiar with the Smithsonian Institution and all they offer in person, but not everyone tunes into their powerful documentaries. Use this resource to learn more about air and space, nature, science, and history!
These videos are all about science and math and brought to you in high quality hoping to inspire students to take an interest in these topics.
Learn alongside some of the world’s leading thinkers as they present and perform
- TEDx Talk– Listen in on TED talks from all over the country on a variety of topics!
- TED – Ed – These short lessons brought to you by educators and animators from all over the world are as entertaining as they are educational.
Steve Spangler, best-selling author, educator and Emmy award-winner mixes science with creativity to make learning truly fun in his hundreds of videos!
Timeline – World History Documentaries
Each week, this channel brings a documentary from one of the world’s top broadcasters to focus on a specific part of our history. These videos are a bit longer, but so engaging and just as inspiring.
Keep up with the current scientific studies and watch all sorts of experiments take place on this channel dedicated to exploring the element of truth.
Hank (who also hosts SciShow) and John work to bring up all sorts of topics current and past to answer the many questions that so many curious students may have! These brief videos will demand your students attention through their engaging format.
Michael Stevens covers all topics from language to technology in his hundreds of videos that pose as many questions as they do answers to keep viewers curious about the world around them.
Wired
Wired has a series of fun videos where experts break down clips from famous movies, like a lawyer watching courtroom scenes, a forensic examiner watching crime clips, a pro chef watching cooking scenes, or Bear Grylls watching survival scenes. It’s a fun way to compare reality vs Hollywood.
Wired also has “One Concept at Five Levels,” which is also interesting. They have a neuroscientist, musician, physicist, and more.
Smarter everyday is a wonderful YouTube channel that should be added to your list!!!!
thank you!
I was going to suggest the same channel! My kids will watch him for episodes and episodes! Go Destin!
I like your channel. I will suggest my kids to watch it.
Today’s era the time to learn many educational and entertaining things from online education YouTube channel and this is great.
This is awesome!!! Thank you for diving into this! Do you have a printable complete list? I would love to have a list to keep handy to remind my kids what they can watch when I’m working with the other kids on school.
I do not, but you’re welcome to print the first image in the post 🙂
Youtube is very good for education. People must use their time to learn new things from following educational channels.
“Dan the OT Man” should be added to the list . It’s a pediatric OT showing/teaching many different activities for kids with special needs.
I would definitely add Kurzgesagt (in a nutshell) for their brilliant cartoonish educational videos about both simple and complex topics
You forgot Mr. Bett’s Class. Great APUSH content (I even use it with my 7th graders!)