This article was updated in October 2023.
YouTube, the online video and social media giant, is not only a repository of millions of free videos but also the second most visited website in the world.
For educators to get the most out of YouTube, they must first filter out content that is inappropriate or simply not educational. The task is then to find and select engaging and relevant educational videos. Fortunately, YouTube learning channels feature thousands of educational (and often funny or quirky) videos on every possible academic topic.
The following tips for safe viewing and the best YouTube channels will help teachers take advantage of the great free educational videos that YouTube has to offer.
How to watch YouTube videos safely
YouTube Restricted Mode
In restricted mode, YouTube Search filters out potentially inappropriate videos and automatically hides comments under videos. Click on your account icon to find the restricted mode toggle setting at the bottom of the menu.
Secure TV sharing
Create a “SafeView” video by simply entering the video URL of any YouTube or Vimeo video. Then watch videos without ads or distractions. It includes an editing function to trim videos of any length and the ability to share them directly on Google Classroom.
video link
Enter the URL of a YouTube video in the search box and VideoLink will generate a secure, ad-free URL that can be easily shared via a QR code, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and other social media apps. Includes the ability to quickly edit the title, background color, length, and other features.
The best YouTube channels for teaching
TeachEngineering
What’s better than a free, standards-aligned digital library packed with engineering and design thinking topics? How about short, engaging videos to demonstrate principles ranging from solar energy to drifting continents to musical imagery? From the nonprofit TeachEngineering and the University of Colorado Boulder, these videos are lively, fun, and highly educational. Use videos as stand-alone mini-lessons or combine them with Free TeachEngineering Lessons on Your Website.
Learn brilliant videos
A wide variety of diverse educational videos, from four to twenty minutes in length. Topics include history, science, mathematics, nature, art, astronomy, geology and more. If you’re not sure how to choose from the hundreds of videos, check out the playlists, where you’ll find content sorted by topic. The playlist of videos narrated in American Sign Language is ideal for deaf viewers.
The brain scoop
Directed by Emily Graslie, the Field Museum’s “Chief Curiosity Correspondent” in Chicago, The Brain Scoop videos feature stunning live footage of animals in the Amazon, the joys of cooking with insects, as well as investigations of museum exhibits, from mummies to dinosaurs. fish. Have you ever wondered how a museum prepares its animal exhibits? That’s covered too!
KLT (Kids Learning Tube Store)
Children love music, which has long been associated with activating learning centers in the brain. KLT’s educational videos combine knowledge with catchy melodies and songs. Will your students learn more? Maybe, maybe not. But they will definitely pay more attention! Topics sung include the adorable tiny sea slug, Michigan geography, astronomy, produce and more.
Children’s art center
Silly and charming, the family-run Art for Kids Hub won’t share the secrets of the painters of the Renaissance, Cubism or Expressionism. What it will do is show kids, line by line, how to draw funny characters, whether they’re familiar or weird and hilarious (avocado toast cartoons, anyone?). Rest assured, the drawing instructions provided are top-notch and entertaining.
Khan Academy Children
Renowned educational nonprofit Khan Academy fills its Khan Academy Kids YouTube channel with hundreds of videos aimed at children ages 2 to 8 that explore topics such as literacy, math, art, phonics, and dinosaurs. To narrow down topics, explore playlists including Halloween Learning Fun, Baby Animal Stories, Colors, or Reading Comprehension, to name a few.
A storm
Super fun and eccentric videos about music and mathematics, appealing to children of all ages. Using animated sketches and slightly sardonic narration, Vihart turns mathematical topics such as the many flavors of infinity, visual multiplication, or a Möbius strip into strangely engaging videos.
Intensive course
Crash Course offers more than 32 free courses on topics including literature, philosophy, organic chemistry, world history, biology, theater, and ecology. Each topic comprises dozens of videos, presented with a light-hearted tone that nevertheless delves into details, whether it’s “How We Make Memories” or “Venice and the Ottoman Empire.”
Science Show
With over six million subscribers, it’s clear that SciShow’s science videos go beyond the basics and into the realm of the unexpected. Look for videos with curiosity-provoking titles, such as “Five Beautifully Intricate Ways to Fly,” “Do You Need a Copper Pot?” or “Without volcanoes, the Earth could be dead.” The playlists feature topics including COVID-19 updates, historic women in science, the Apollo missions to the moon, and many other interesting topics.
Numerophile
With nearly four million subscribers, Numberphile is one of the top math teaching channels on YouTube. Down-to-earth video journalist Brady Haran can turn any student into a math lover, with hundreds of entertaining and educational videos exploring the scientific way to cut a cake or puzzling clips. Big fun.
Veritasio
Great STEM videos that will make you wonder what the fatal flaw of mathematics is and what the longest-running evolution experiment tells us. Be sure to test your reasoning skills with Test Yourself! Playlist including physics and biology experiments.
