33 best educational YouTube channels, by age

Short clips of songs, letters, numbers and feelings from a show backed by more than 50 years of research. It is a safe default for the youngest viewers and good to watch together.

Slow, warm videos built around speech and language: she pauses, waits for answers and models words. Speech therapists often recommend her for toddlers who are late talkers.

Watch for: Episodes are long. Pick one and turn off autoplay.

Calm, clear songs for routines, counting, colors and learning English, made by teachers. The pacing is slower and less frantic than most toddler channels, which is better for young attention spans.

Characters made of blocks show what numbers are: 3 is three blocks, and 3 plus 2 makes 5. Our top math pick for preschool. Alphablocks does the same for phonics.

Yoga adventures told as stories, where kids move along with the host through themes like Frozen or space. Good for rainy days, getting energy out and calming down before bed.

Movement songs for counting, skip counting, letters and sight words from a longtime teacher. Many kindergarten classes use them daily, and they get wiggly kids learning while they move.

Funny songs and shorts that answer kid questions, like how the sun works or why we need sleep. The facts are accurate, the songs are catchy, and the full show is on Netflix.

Jessi and her robot friend Squeaks answer science questions with simple experiments and clear explanations. The back catalog is big and still holds up, even though new uploads have slowed.

Grade-school science and engineering in short episodes, matched to US science standards. A great fit when a child has a homework topic on weather, ecosystems or simple machines.

Animal science adventures with the Kratt brothers, in clips from the PBS KIDS show. Kids learn how animals hunt, hide and survive, and they remember the facts because the stories stick.

A dad and his kids draw together step by step, from cartoon animals to holiday cards. Gentle pace and easy to follow at the kitchen table.

Catchy music videos for times tables, fractions, place value, shapes and money, made by a teacher. Kids end up singing them for weeks, which is exactly the point.

Dance and movement breaks, many with counting, spelling or mindfulness built in. Good for getting energy out after school or between homework tasks, especially for kids who struggle to sit still.

Animated songs about planets, countries, the human body and animals. They are simple and memorable for younger grade-schoolers, and handy to replay when a topic comes up in class.

Actors read picture books aloud with the illustrated pages on screen. A good choice when your child wants a screen but you would rather they spent the time with a book.

A former NASA engineer builds wild gadgets and tests big ideas, then explains the engineering. Kids watch for the stunts and learn the design process.

Watch for: Many videos promote his paid CrunchLabs boxes.

Beautiful animated explainers on space, biology, technology and big questions, with sources published for every video. A favorite for curious tweens and teens who want to understand the world.

Watch for: Some topics, like the end of the universe or disease, can upset sensitive kids.

Five-minute animated lessons on everything from riddles and myths to chemistry and history. Each lesson has questions and extra reading on the TED-Ed site for kids who want more.

Clear physics explanations of strange things, like self-siphoning beads or why some liquids climb. He builds models to show what is happening, which teaches kids how to test ideas.

An engineer films things in slow motion and asks experts how they work, from helicopters to the way cats land. It models real curiosity and how to ask good questions.

Short, funny animated videos about nature, animals and the planet, with clear science. Each is only a few minutes long, which makes it good for short screen-time windows.

Mathematicians explain fun number puzzles and famous problems with pen and brown paper. Best for kids who already like math and want to see where it goes beyond school.

How dams, bridges, roads and water systems work, explained with tabletop models and clear demos. It makes the built world around kids suddenly interesting. Good for teens weighing engineering careers.

Slow, clear math lessons from basic arithmetic to fractions, decimals and pre-algebra. Great when homework is confusing and you cannot remember how you were taught it.

Visual math lessons from Grant Sanderson, including the clearest short series on how neural networks and large language models work. Essential viewing for teens curious about AI.

Deep, carefully animated explainers on how AI and machine learning really work, with the history behind them. For teens who want more than headlines and hype about AI.

Science and engineering stories that start with a puzzle and end with a surprise, often filmed with real experiments. It builds real understanding and shows how scientists think.

Full video courses in history, biology, chemistry, economics, AI and more. Many teens use them to review for tests, and teachers use them in class.

Thousands of lesson videos from basic math to AP Chemistry and economics. Best paired with the free practice exercises on the Khan Academy site, where progress is tracked.

Sharp, well-researched explainers on government, voting systems, geography and history. Uploads are rare, but the back catalog is strong and great for civics. Try the voting videos before an election.

How planes, rockets, energy grids and other technology work, explained by an engineer with clear animation. Good for teens thinking about engineering as a career.

Plain, step-by-step lessons on chemistry, biology, physics and math, plus videos that check popular science myths. A good free tutor for high school science. Good for test review at any pace.

Watch for: Some debunking videos are sharp in tone.

A chemist tries odd experiments, like turning gloves into grape soda, and films every step. It shows how slow, careful and full of failure real lab work is.

Watch for: Do not try these at home. Chemicals and equipment are dangerous.