Especially now that screens are so prevalent there! YouTube’s videos can be colorful, animated, educational and very engaging when done right.
But when you want a science YouTube video for your classroom, you have to go in with a plan if you’re going to be successful.
You can’t just type “science” into the YouTube search bar and expect to find the perfect videos for your class right away.
And that’s why I put together this “listacle” providing you with links to some of the best science themed YouTube channels out there for young kids, along with a few lines on why I like them.
Why I Like Using YouTube To Help Teach Science To Kids
One of the great things about these YouTube channels, besides them being completely free of charge to access, is that you can cherry-pick what episodes you put on for the kids, whether it’s according to topic, subtopic, or overall theme.
Or alternatively, you can make the most of the playlists of these channels, and simply set a playlist to start, keeping one group of kids suitably occupied while you concentrate on the kids who need that little extra help with whatever you need to cover.
And of course, no YouTube channel could ever replace you, and you can add on activities for the kids that are interactive in order to consolidate their learning.
And without further ado, let’s get straight to it!
12 Best Science Youtube Channels For Kids
(The following YouTube channels aren’t listed in any particular order.)
I wanted to kick things off with a strong favorite of mine – SciShow Kids!
It’s very well presented with a fun presenter, it has cute animations, and all of the videos put a fun spin on science.
It covers loads of cool topics, including sea-life monsters, making slime, insects, the seasons, how bats “see” sound, how sharks find food using electricity, and different shows about being a scientist.
This channel comes from a very well respected source on the subject of science, National Geographic, no less. But this channel is aimed specifically at kids.
It’s very entertaining, incorporating animals, science, adventure, and comedy.
It has a strong focus on animals, including on animals that aren’t around anymore, such as dinosaurs. It covers destinations all around the world, and even outer space too!
This is the perfect channel for both homes and classrooms that don’t have chemistry sets and such because the presenter, who is super fun, does all the science demonstrations you could want, complete with easy to understand explanations as to how the various effects are achieved.
Some of the topics include what fossils can tell us about dinosaurs, scavenger hunts, the solar system, recyclers in nature, fun with electricity and magnets, and much more besides.
The Happy Learning Channel offers a wide range of educational videos for kids, including not only science, but also language and math.
It’s very well presented, in the form of animations, with clear labeling and an easy-to-understand voice-over.
Some of the science topics covered include eclipses, the origin of the universe, the circulatory system, the ecosystem, the animal food chain, the digestive system, the brain, and much more.
Peekaboo Kidz is home to the Dr Binco’s show, a series of fun, animated videos designed to teach kids about sciences (and other things besides). Its education and entertainment merged together.
Dr Binco’s is a binocular wearing creature who explains various topics to enhance general knowledge.
It includes videos about natural disasters, how body parts work, the ecosystem and nature conservation, the planets and the solar system, geography, pollution, and more.
If you ask me, this is one of the most entertaining and engaging science YouTube video channels out there. But it’s hard to gauge what age of viewer the show is aimed at.
That said, the presenters have published a book that has a PG age rating.
It covers a wide range of topics, and the presenters seem to aim at being current. During the coronavirus pandemic, for example, there was a lot of explanation around that.
And they tackle climate change, talking about what’s happening to our planet, and how to get by if you switch off certain energy sources.
There are several videos dedicated to optimizing your brain, they can help you study, sleep, and stay motivated, and if that proves tricky, it also tackles ways to simply appear smarter instead.
KLT stands for Kids Learning Tube. It’s really fun for kids with cute, engaging animations. It’s also funny as well, and many of the lessons are taught through the power of song.
It covers both anatomy, planetary science, earth science and geography, with videos about celestial bodies, different countries, the seasons of the year, and much more.
Science Rules comes from the channel Free School, which, as you may well have guessed by now, is a channel of educational videos designed to teach kids about science.
It covers all sorts of topics, including food chains, simple machines, animal classification, volcanos, ecosystems, the science of light and color, astronomy, the weather, the seasons, eclipses, life cycles, thunder and lightning, and more besides.
This is such a lovely channel for young kids – it’s super fun with animated puppets and happy sounding voice over artists, as well as animations.
It’s all based around teaching science, and this includes the likes of videos about animals, dinosaurs, making slime, why you need sunscreen, lunar and solar eclipse, how the heart works, electricity, and some super fun Halloween science experiments as well.
Homeschool Pop is the cool way to homeschool kids, and it does such a great job that the videos often get played in schools as well.
It covers a wide range of curriculums, not just science. It’s designed to be both educational and fun. There are fun holiday based videos, videos about the 50 states.
Videos for women’s history month, and videos aimed at kids for specific age groups, for example, elementary school children in general, kindergarten curriculum, 1st, grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd grade.
The great thing about this particular YouTube channel on science is that each video is centered around answering a question. Seemingly random questions, it’s true, but all with a scientific answer and expertly delivered.
Examples of questions include: How do astronauts get ready for space; Why do fireflies glow; Why do we get head lice; What does a scientist do; How do vaccines work; How do we know the earth is round; and a great many more.
This accessible YouTube channel is aimed at teaching kids all about planet earth, answering all and every question they might have about things like: Why is Earth the only planet with water; Are we saving the wrong species; Are we really 99% chimp; Why do some animals eat their babies; Do fetuses poop; Why do we only see one side of the moon; and so many more besides.
Wrap Up
I worry that I’ve given you too many options now! How are you going to choose one?
I suggest that you simply work your way through the channels in order or at random, and judge for yourself which ones the kids in your charge respond to and engage with best.
You will find that some topics appeal to some kids more than others, and this is to be expected. And similarly, the presenter and the way the topics are covered will also appeal to some kids more than others.
It’s all about fun and new discoveries. And all you have to do is like and subscribe.
Hi, my name is Helena Waters and I was a teacher for 40 years before retiring last year.
During my time as a teacher I dedicated the majority of it to making classrooms as fun as possible, with educational parties, fun activities, and low cost entertainment that made the children excited about learning.
I taught children of all ages, from preschoolers to high school students. Now, with the pandemic having uprooted everything that children once knew about school and learning, I think that the need for my ideas is bigger than ever.
That is why I created School Sparks, a place in which I can write down and share all of my ideas on how to get students excited about going to school again. I hope that you’ll find some useful within a school setting, even at home too!
