The best YouTube channels for kids, checked by a parent

Your child wants to watch something, and you want to say yes. The trouble is that "something" on YouTube is never one video. It is the video, the next one, the one after that, and somewhere along the way a channel you have never heard of. So you search for the best YouTube channels for kids and find lists that mix toddler songs with teenage gamers.

The best YouTube channels for kids are official channels run by a broadcaster, studio or creator, matched to the child's age. For 3 to 5, start with Sesame Street, Puffin Rock and Numberblocks. For 6 to 8, Mystery Science, Art for Kids Hub and Odd Squad. For 9 to 12, TED-Ed, BBC Newsround and Horrible Histories. Below are 25 channels in three age bands, each with one line on why it fits, plus the two traps that spoil a good list: re-uploads and the "10 hours of" compilation.

If you would like your child to see only the channels you picked, with no Shorts, no autoplay and no recommendations in between, Pepelly does exactly that. More on it at the end.

How we chose these YouTube channels for kids

Every channel here comes from our own catalogue, which we put together by hand, one channel at a time. We list only official channels: the one run by the broadcaster, the studio, the rights holder or the person who makes the videos. Each channel also appears on at least one independent recommendation list, from Common Sense Media, PBS Kids, the BBC or WeAreTeachers.

For every channel we noted an age band, a subject and how often it posts long compilations next to single episodes. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents to choose high-quality programming from producers such as Sesame Workshop and PBS, to avoid fast-paced shows for young children, and to watch alongside them when possible. That guidance shaped the order below.

The age bands are our judgement, not a certificate. Children differ: a channel that delights one 6-year-old bores or frightens another. Watch the first few videos together.

Official channel or re-upload: how to tell

Type a show's name into YouTube and you often get three or four channels with the same name and the same thumbnails. One is official. The others re-upload episodes, often stitched into long blocks with different music, and they disappear when the rights holder complains. A child cannot tell the difference, and the re-uploads are usually the ones with the "10 hours" titles.

Four checks take a minute. First, look at the handle and the About section: an official channel names the broadcaster or studio, such as WGBH, the BBC or Sesame Workshop. Second, open the broadcaster's own website, which almost always links to its YouTube channel. Third, be suspicious of a channel that mixes several unrelated shows; studios rarely do that. Fourth, do not trust the word "official" in a channel name on its own. Every channel linked below is the one we found through these checks.

The best YouTube channels for kids aged 3 to 5

At this age a good channel is slow, warm and repetitive, with episodes that end. Songs and a character the child trusts matter more than facts.

Sesame Street (youtube.com/@SesameStreet) is Sesame Workshop's main channel, with short songs and sketches about letters, numbers and feelings. It is friendly and clear, though the music and cuts make it busier than it looks. Pick the short clips rather than the multi-episode blocks. Ages 3 to 5.

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (youtube.com/@MisterRogersNeighborhood) has Fred Rogers' original episodes: slow, warm conversations about feelings, everyday life and how things are made. He talks straight to the child and leaves real pauses. It is the calmest channel on this list. Ages 3 to 5.

Puffin Rock (youtube.com/@PuffinRock) tells gentle Irish nature stories about a puffin family, softly narrated with plenty of quiet. It is a good first show and a good last show before bed. Ages 3 to 5.

Numberblocks (youtube.com/@Numberblocks) is the BBC and Blue Zoo maths series in which each character is a number. Children see why three and two make five, not just that they do. The short single episodes are the ones to pick. Ages 3 to 6.

StorylineOnline (youtube.com/@StorylineOnline) has actors from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation reading picture books aloud, with the illustrations on screen. The picture barely moves, which is exactly why it works. Ages 3 to 7.

Bluey (youtube.com/@BlueyOfficialChannel) is the official Ludo Studio and BBC channel for the Australian series about a family of dogs who play imaginative games. Parents like it as much as children do. The channel posts short clips and book read-alouds next to long compilations, so look at the length. Ages 3 to 8.

Octonauts (youtube.com/@Octonauts) follows an undersea rescue crew, and every episode is about a real sea creature. Rescues bring quicker cuts and alarm sounds, so it is a daytime show. Ages 3 to 7.

CBeebies (youtube.com/@cbeebies) is the BBC's preschool channel, with full episodes, songs and the CBeebies Bedtime Story read by a familiar face. It is a broad, trustworthy mix for families who want more than one show in one place. Ages 3 to 5.

Cosmic Kids Yoga (youtube.com/@CosmicKidsYoga) is story-led yoga that gets children moving and ends with a short moment of calm. It is the channel to open on a rainy afternoon when everyone needs to run around. Ages 3 to 8.

Mister Rogers, Puffin Rock and StorylineOnline are also on our list of low-stimulation shows for preschoolers and older toddlers, where every channel carries a pace rating.

Good YouTube channels for kids aged 6 to 8

Children in the first school years want real answers to real questions, and they start to love humour, as long as the facts stay right. They can also follow a craft or an experiment on their own.

Mystery Science (youtube.com/@MysterySci) has Mystery Doug answering real questions sent in by children, in calm science lessons of a few minutes. Why is the sky blue, why do we have eyebrows. It works well before school. Ages 6 to 8.

Art for Kids Hub (youtube.com/@artforkidshub) is a father drawing step by step with his children, slowly enough for a child to follow along with paper and pens. It turns watching into doing, which is the best thing a channel can do. Ages 4 to 9.

Odd Squad (youtube.com/@OddSquadForever) is a funny live-action PBS series in which young agents solve strange problems with maths. Children laugh first and notice the maths later. Ages 6 to 9.

Wild Kratts (youtube.com/@WildKratts) is the official PBS animal-adventure series about how real creatures survive. The facts are solid and the pace is lively, so it suits the afternoon better than the hour before bed. Ages 6 to 8.

SciShow Kids (youtube.com/@SciShowKids) has Jessi and her robot rat Squeaks explaining animals, the body and space for younger children. It is a good bridge from preschool shows to proper science. Ages 5 to 8.

Operation Ouch (youtube.com/@OperationOuch) has CBBC's doctor twins explaining how the body works and what happens in hospital, with a little gross-out humour. Children who fear the doctor often fear it less afterwards. Ages 6 to 11.

BBC Earth Kids (youtube.com/@BBCEarthKids) is the BBC's natural-history footage cut for children, including short animal films with Steve Backshall. Some films use quick edits and dramatic music, most are simply beautiful. Ages 6 to 10.

Free School (youtube.com/@freeschool) offers calm narrated lessons on nature, art history and classical music, with still images and an even voice. It has been a favourite with home-educating families for years. Ages 6 to 10.

If your child has a favourite subject, our list of the best educational YouTube channels for kids, by age and subject sorts the learning channels into maths, science, nature, reading, history and art.

YouTube channels for kids aged 9 to 12

Older children can follow a longer argument and like being treated as clever. The best channels for this band look more like a good teacher or a good documentary than a TV show. Most of them post single videos of five to fifteen minutes with a clear end.

TED-Ed (youtube.com/@TEDEd) posts animated lessons of about five minutes on science, history, language and riddles, written by teachers. The riddles alone can fill a car journey. Ages 9 to 12 and up.

Math Antics (youtube.com/@mathantics) explains maths clearly and without hurry, from place value to fractions and early algebra. It is the channel to open when homework stalls at the kitchen table. Ages 7 to 12.

BBC Newsround (youtube.com/@BBCNewsroundOfficial) is the BBC's news programme for children. It explains current events at a child's level, which helps when a child has heard something worrying at school and needs it put in proportion. Ages 9 to 12.

Horrible Histories (youtube.com/@HorribleHistoriesOfficial) is the official CBBC sketch comedy based on Terry Deary's books, from Rotten Romans to the Stuarts. It is rude in the way 10-year-olds love and right in the way teachers need. Ages 9 to 12.

MinuteEarth (youtube.com/@MinuteEarth) makes short hand-drawn explainers about why the natural world works the way it does. Each video answers one question and ends. Ages 8 to 12.

Journey to the Microcosmos (youtube.com/@journeytomicro) shows slow, beautiful microscope footage of tiny organisms with calm narration. It is the quietest science channel we know and a good evening pick. Ages 9 to 12.

PBS Eons (youtube.com/@eons) is PBS's deep-time series about fossils, extinct animals and how life on Earth changed. For a child who has outgrown dinosaur picture books, this is the next step. Ages 9 to 12.

Numberphile (youtube.com/@numberphile) has mathematicians talking enthusiastically about numbers, patterns and puzzles with a pen and brown paper. It shows a child that adults find maths exciting, which no textbook manages. Ages 10 to 12 and up.

In this band, Journey to the Microcosmos, Math Antics, MinuteEarth and TED-Ed are the calm picks. Horrible Histories and Numberphile are livelier, in a good way.

The "10 hours of" compilation trap

A good channel can still make a bad afternoon. Many official channels post one- and two-hour blocks of stitched episodes next to the single ones, often with "compilation", "full episodes" or "1 hour" in the title and sometimes with no hint at all. Re-upload channels go further, with "10 hours of" nursery rhymes or looping cartoon marathons. A ten-minute episode becomes a sitting that nobody planned.

In our catalogue, Sesame Street, Numberblocks, Bluey, Octonauts, CBeebies, Wild Kratts, SciShow Kids and Horrible Histories carry a medium risk for compilations. That does not make them bad channels. It means you should look at the length before you tap play. A rule of thumb: on a preschool channel, anything over 20 minutes is almost always a compilation.

Two more habits help. Say the number of episodes out loud before the first one starts, so the end is agreed and not a surprise. And check the video length on the tile rather than the title, because "full episode" can mean eleven minutes or ninety.

Compilations matter more than they seem, because they quietly replace your plan with the channel's. A parent who agreed to two episodes of a calm show has, in practice, agreed to twenty minutes. A compilation turns the same yes into an hour, and the end comes with a fight instead of a credits song. The American Academy of Pediatrics puts the emphasis on watching together and talking about what the child saw, and that is far easier with a single episode than with a block that nobody meant to finish.

The same goes for approved channels in YouTube Kids. Approving a channel approves everything it posts, including the long blocks, so the length check stays with you even after the setup below.

How to set up YouTube for these channels

The best list is worth little if the next video starts by itself. These steps keep YouTube on your channels.

1. Choose three to five channels from the list above with your child. Fewer is better at the start, and you can always add one.
2. For children up to about 8, set up YouTube Kids and switch on Approve content yourself. Your child then sees only the channels and videos you approved, and search is off. From 9, a supervised account is the usual route, though it has no allowlist. Every step is in our guide to YouTube parental controls.
3. In Family Center in your own YouTube app, switch on Disable autoplay for your child.
4. Set the Shorts feed limit to zero on your child's supervised account. How to do it, and where it leaves gaps, is in our guide on how to block YouTube Shorts for kids.
5. Agree on a time and a number of episodes before the screen goes on. Our screen time rules for kids, by age give a sample plan.
6. Watch with younger children when you can, and ask one question afterwards. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that children learn more from a screen when an adult talks with them about it.

Watching only the channels you picked

Pepelly is a video player for children from 3 to 12 that shows only the YouTube channels you approved. You can add a starter pack for your child's age with one tap, add channels by search or by pasting a link, or import your own subscriptions. Your child sees the newest video from every channel first and what they have already watched last. There are no Shorts, no autoplay, no recommendations and no comments. Compilations and very long videos are hidden by default, which takes care of the trap above.

When a video ends, Pepelly's own screen appears: watch again, or back to my videos. A parent PIN is the only way out of kid mode. If your child wants a channel that is not on the list, they can ask for it from the app, and you get a notification.

The free plan covers one child and ten channels, which is enough for most of the lists above. Videos play in the official YouTube player, and Pepelly does not remove YouTube ads. Pepelly is not affiliated with YouTube or Google. See how Pepelly works.