50 Best Educational YouTube Channels for Kids and Teens

Screenshot of The Brain Scoop with a woman holding a prehistoric skull, as an example of educational YouTube Channels

Today’s kids aren’t old enough to remember the excitement of seeing the TV/VCR cart parked
in their classroom for the day, but they still love watching videos in class! We’ve rounded up the
best educational YouTube channels for students from preschool through high school, covering just
about every topic you can imagine.

Note: As with all media, we recommend screening videos in advance to be sure they’re
appropriate for your audience.

Pre-K and Elementary School Channels
Middle and High School Channels

Pre-K and Elementary School Educational YouTube Channels

Teaching toddlers their shapes and colors? Helping elementary kids understand math and
science concepts? Looking for fun ways to explore social studies? These YouTube channels have the
content you need.

Learn Bright

You’ll find videos for kids here on all sorts of topics, including reading, math, history, and science.

Let’s Read Stories

Stories for kids—read by a kid! This channel features tons of favorite books, read beautifully by a
child who knows how to make the story engaging and fun.

Baby Einstein

This popular series has been around for awhile, and it’s perfect for little ones just learning about the
world.

BabyBus

Learn about safety, feelings and emotions, and more with these sweet videos.

Pinkfong

The folks that brought you Baby Shark have a whole channel! Learn and sing along with one of the most
beloved characters out there.

Storytime With Ryan and Craig

Looking for read-alouds with some personality? Check out Ryan and Craig! They’re comedians who read
children’s books and comment (in kid-appropriate ways) as they go. They’re fun and entertaining, and the
reading is good-quality and so are the book choices.

The StoryTime Family

Ready for some titles you haven’t seen before? The StoryTime Family has a big virtual
bookshelf with playlists for animals, social-emotional learning, and more. No commercial characters
here, just good-quality selections kids haven’t already heard dozens of times.

Kids TV

All the songs and nursery rhymes little ones love! This channel is available in multiple languages too.

The Brain Scoop

Head behind the scenes with staff from Chicago’s Field Museum and learn all about natural history
topics.

Houston Zoo

Animal lovers, take note! The Houston Zoo shares information about all their animals and their keepers
too.

Amy
Poehler’s Smart Girls

Amy’s channel is geared toward girls, but all kids will enjoy the stories and inspiring videos posted
here.

KLT

KLT stands for “Kids Learning Tube.” Their videos focus on geography and astronomy.

Art for Kids
Hub

This one’s for the art lovers—even kids who think they can’t draw! This channel will show you how to
create pretty much anything you can think of, step by step.

Socratica Kids

Join these friendly puppets as they learn to read, count, and even dance!

Rock ‘N Learn

Songs are a great way to help kids learn, and this channel is full of them! Find reading, writing, math,
and languages for kids of all ages.

Jack Hartmann

Speaking of songs, Jack Hartmann’s channel has so many to choose from!

Mystery
Doug

Doug tackles the most important questions, like “why don’t people fall out of roller coasters?” or “is
it possible to become invisible?”

Khan Academy Kids

Circle Time from educational resource powerhouse Khan Academy is full of stories and activities the
younger crowd will love.

Alphablocks

The Alphablocks are 26 living letters who discover that whenever they hold hands and make a
word, something magical happens. This hit show combines phonics with fun to help little ones learn
the skills they need to become readers. If your kids enjoy it, be sure to check out Numberblocks too.

Crash Course Kids

This kid-friendly series from the creators of the popular Crash Course (see below) covers
science for elementary kids. The channel includes topics like earth science, biology, astronomy, and
more.

National Geographic Kids

Everything you love about National Geographic, but geared toward kids’ interests—and
attention spans. Travel and explore the world with short videos featuring animals, science, and much
more.

Storyline Online

Top-notch actors reading fantastic children’s books? Sign us up! Each video includes
imaginative animation based on the illustrations. Plus, teachers can find supplemental curriculum on
Storyline’s website.

Finding Stuff Out

The best YouTube channels for kids are those that feature other kids! Finding Stuff Out
explores everything from hair to sports to robots, with young hosts that speak to students on their
level.

PBS Kids

It’s no surprise that PBS has some terrific educational YouTube channels, including PBS
Kids. Get full-length episodes of shows kids love, like Daniel Tiger and Wild
Kratts, plus read-alongs, Sesame Street, and a lot more.

Free School

If you’re looking for age-appropriate videos on history, science, or language arts, look no
further. Free School covers these topics and more in a way that’s perfect for younger learners.

SciShow Kids

Explore all the best science topics, with videos that aim to answer the eternal kid question
“Why?” You’ll also find experiments and our favorite series: playground science.

Kids Academy

This is another one of those YouTube channels for kids that covers a bit of just about
everything. You’ll even find chess lessons for kids!

ABCMouse.com

ABCMouse is well-known as a terrific program for early learners. Their channel includes
educational songs, crafts and activities, and more.

Fun Kids English

For kids learning English as a second language, try this channel. Cute songs and engaging videos will
have them fluent in no time!

English Class
101

ESL students will find so much to learn on this channel, with new content and even livestreams added
regularly.

Middle and High School Educational YouTube Channels

Videos are a terrific way to engage older students on topics from science to literature to
current events and beyond. These educational YouTube channels cover it all.

Math
Antics

There are math topics on this channel for all ages, from simple arithmetic to algebra.

BrainCraft

Learn more about how and why we do the things we do, and ways to make your daily life a little bit
better.

Mental Floss

If you love crazy trivia and origin stories, check out Mental Floss! These videos are fun for bell
ringers or to fill in a few minutes at the end of class.

Physics Girl

Dianna Cowern is a big name in science videos. Check out her channel to show students a strong female
STEM role model.

Today I
Found Out

If you believe there’s something new to learn all the time, check out these quick videos that share cool
stories and fascinating facts you won’t find elsewhere.

Big Think

Big thoughts on big topics from big leaders in their fields. Introduce students to experts in a wide
array of subjects.

Amazing Space

Most of us will never travel to space, so enjoy these videos instead! The livestream of footage from the
ISS is terrific to have on in the background as kids work independently.

History

The History Channel started on cable TV, and their YouTube channel has lots of fascinating topics, from
short clips to full episodes.

NASA STEM

NASA has multiple educational YouTube channels, but we like this one best for students and teachers. The
videos are geared toward learning about space in ways that kids can understand.

The Backyard
Scientist

You might not be able (or willing!) to pour molten aluminum into a watermelon to find out what happens,
but the Backyard Scientist is! These videos are engaging and so fun to watch.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy provides an enormous amount of free educational resources, including their educational
YouTube channels. Pretty much any teacher will find something useful here.

minutephysics

Just what it sounds like: very quick videos on a range of physics topics. Perfect for introducing new
topics to your students!

Veritasium

According to this channel, Veritasium is the “element of truth.” Lots of science videos, but also a wide
variety of other topics.

AsapScience

This channel sets out to make sense of science, and they do just that! Note that some videos are better
for older viewers, so review your choices in advance.

VSauce

Challenge students to think more deeply about, well, just about everything. These fascinating videos are
brain-bending and lots of fun.

It’s Okay To Be Smart

This channel was created by Joe Hanson, Ph.D., who describes himself as “a curious group of
atoms in a very curious universe.” His videos cover everything from “Does My Dog Know What I’m
Thinking?” to “My Date With a Giant Pacific Octopus.”

The Infographics Show

This channel aims to take facts of all kinds and turn them into engaging and intriguing
videos. Watch stories of incredible people, events, and mysteries. There’s a new video nearly every
day, so the variety is practically endless.

Simple History

Simple History visualizes the past, bringing history to life through animation. The videos
cover ancient Egypt to the Cold War and everything in between.

Smarter Every
Day

Covering everything from an interview with a former Obama staffer to what it’s like to fly in a
supersonic jet, these videos get millions of views, and for good reason.

Crash Course

Crash Course has 30+ in-depth courses on a wide variety of subjects, including chemistry,
literature, philosophy, and more. They’ve recently teamed up with Arizona State University to
produce study courses specifically aimed at high schoolers.

TED-Ed

Everything you love about TED Talks, with subjects chosen to interest kids and teens. Topics
are wide-ranging, and the videos are just as engaging as you’d expect from TED. We especially love
the “There’s a Poem for That” series, which pairs classic poetry with award-winning animation.