Safe Educational Videos for Kids: Our Family’s Top Picks

As parents, we often hear, “You don’t have paid TV? So, what do your kids watch? Aren’t they missing out?” The answer is a resounding no! We’ve discovered a treasure trove of safe, educational, and entertaining videos that our children love.

Why We Ditched Paid TV

The constant need to censor adult advertisements during children’s programs became exhausting. Monitoring every show for inappropriate content was a never-ending task. So, we decided to eliminate traditional TV and find a better solution.

Our Approach to Screen Time

While we limit video consumption, we recognize the value of relaxing and educational content. At designated times, our kids watch pre-selected videos. Sometimes, we join them to discuss the content; other times, it provides an opportunity to tackle household chores uninterrupted.

Our Method: Curating Quality Content

1. YouTube Exploration: We scour YouTube for potential videos.
2. Parental Screening: Each video is watched by us to ensure it’s safe, educational, non-violent, and aligns with our values.
3. Organized Library: Approved videos are stored on a computer, allowing the kids to choose freely from this collection during their screen time.

This approach ensures our children learn valuable lessons, gain knowledge, and feel happy and relaxed after viewing.

Our Curated Safe Educational Videos for Kids List

We’ve compiled a list of recommended videos, suitable for various age groups and purposes—some purely for fun, others more educational. As homeschooling parents, we believe learning happens all day, and videos are an extension of this philosophy.

The list is in alphabetical order and I have colour coded each type of video, in the hopes that this will help you to easily find the type of viewing that you are looking for:

1. Green: Educational (Animals, Nature, Wildlife)
2. Orange: Art, Creativity
3. Plum: Language Learning (e.g., Spanish, French)
4. Pink: Babies and Toddlers
5. Blue: Entertainment with Life Lessons
6. Purple: Music, Singing, Dance
7. Red: Educational (Science, Mathematics, Alphabet)

• Andy’s Wild Adventures: A CBeebies series introducing children to animals and their habitats. While the dinosaur episodes might be intense for little ones, the animal-focused episodes are both fun and educational.
• Art for Kids Hub: A dad and his three kids (updated February 2025: there are now 4 kids) offer art lessons, including drawing and origami. Preview content to ensure suitability, as some topics may not align with all preferences.
• Baby Abuelita: Animated stories featuring grandparents teaching Spanish to their grandchildren through engaging narratives.
• Baby Einstein: Designed for babies up to three years old, these videos showcase simple patterns, puppet shows, and familiar objects set to classical music. Interestingly, even our older kids find them calming and captivating.

Fun & Educational Shows That Teach Important Life Skills:

• Berenstain Bears: Animated tales of a bear family imparting valuable life lessons in an entertaining manner.
• Blaze and the Monster Machines: Follows AJ and his monster-truck, Blaze, as they tackle problems involving science and math. A brilliant way to help kids understand concepts like force and velocity.
• Blippi: An energetic educator with goofy mannerisms, Blippi teaches children about various subjects, including math, colors, vehicles, and science.
• Bob the Builder: Bob and his pals collaborate to solve problems and get things done with a positive attitude.

• Bounce Patrol: An Australian children’s entertainment group offering family-friendly music and songs that are fun to sing and dance along to.
• BrussPup: Features amazing illusion and science videos that captivate curious minds.
• Charlie and Lola: Charlie loves sharing his knowledge with his 4-year-old sister, Lola. From trying new foods and getting a haircut to losing a tooth, Charlie has experienced it all and is always ready to pass on his wisdom. The series highlights family values, humor, and the limitless power of imagination, making everyday moments both fun and meaningful.
• Coilbook: This educational multimedia company makes learning fun and accessible for children. Their playlist features cartoons covering numbers, shapes, colors, traffic signs, and more, all taught by their friendly robot and shape roller coaster. The videos are exceptionally well-animated, making learning both engaging and enjoyable.
• Come Outside: This brilliant British series encourages children to explore the world around them. Each episode begins with something familiar, like wood, paper, boots, spiders, buses, soap, or street lamps. The show stars Auntie Mabel (played by Lynda Baron) and her dog, Pippin. One of its unique features is Auntie Mabel’s unusual mode of transport: a small aeroplane.

Entertaining Adventures with Valuable Lessons:

• Cubeez: A British animated TV show aimed at pre-school children aged 2–5, but older children enjoy watching it as well. The four box-like characters, Bozz, Doody, Dink and Tizzy are accompanied on their adventures by a talking paintbrush and a variety of creative characters. Each episode has a strong educational element and features live-action footage of children.
• Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: This is about 4-year-old Daniel Tiger, who invites a new generation of preschoolers into the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. Daniel and his friends have fun and learn practical skills necessary for growing and developing.
• Debbie Doo: A fun loving, caring and bubbly character who really loves to sing and dance. With her bright pink hair and infectious smile, using positivity, Debbie Doo sings while teaching lessons to inspire, delight and encourage adult and child interaction through her uplifting movement based songs and videos.
• Doodlebops: A colourful Canadian pop band that encourage kids to dance and sing along to their music. The characters Rooney, Moe, and Deedee Doodle teach age-appropriate lessons, such as to never give up, why reading is fun, sharing, trying new things etc in a very unique way. 
• Ed and Eppa in the Wild: An informative fun educational video series about a brother and sister who are visiting earth from another planet and who learn new things about the animals on earth, e.g. penguins, sharks, crocodiles, tigers etc.
• Gigglebellies: Gorgeously animated musical videos with very catchy beautifully written songs.

Guess & Explore: Heartwarming Tales of Love and Discovery:

• Guess How Much I Love You: The story of two Nutbrown Hares, Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Nutbrown Hare. Little Nutbrown Hare asks Big Nutbrown Hare the question, “Guess how much I love you?”, and the stories continue as the two use larger and larger measures to quantify how much they love each other in answer to the question. The story is simple, but effectively shows the love the two share for each other, while discussing other life issues like sharing, how nests are built, noticing the things around you etc.
• Guess with Jess: Jess the Cat from “Postman Pat” stars in his own show. At the beginning of each episode, Jess comes across a big question that he investigates with help from viewers and his friends, Willow, a pony that acts as a wise motherly figure to the cat, and Billie, a mouse that carries a magnifying glass and binoculars to further investigate the question. Throughout their adventures, Jess and friends learn about the world around them. 

• Handy Manny: In the town of Sheetrock Hills everyone gets help from handyman Manny Garcia and his talking tools. The series teaches basic Spanish words and phrases, and exposes kids to Latin culture. Other lessons focus on working together and problem solving as a team.
• Hoopla Kidz: An educational series that revolves around nursery rhymes, pre-k content, basic numbers and language learning, kids’ recipes, art and craft, and children’s entertainment.
• Imagination Movers: The series focuses on the Imagination Movers: Dave, Rich, Smitty, and Scott, who live in the “Idea Warehouse,” which has a wide variety of rooms with differing climates and sizes, such as a “Jungle Room”, a “Wind Room”, etc. In every episode, they aid clients in problems (“Idea Emergencies”), and think up creative ways to solve said problems. They are often helped by Warehouse Mouse, and Nina, their spirited and ever-cheerful neighbor and friend. The Movers have special equipment to help them in their tasks. Fun videos worth watching to help with problem solving skills. 

Healthy Bodies, Happy Lives: Fun Ways to Learn About Wellness:

• KidsHealth: Educational series that teaches children in a humorous way about the various parts of their bodies and how they function.
• LazyTown: An Icelandic children’s educational musical comedy program based upon a children’s book created by Magnús Scheving, a gymnastics champion who also plays the character Sportacus. It is brilliantly produced to encourage children to follow a healthy lifestyle with the food that they eat and with exercise.

Musical Adventures: Learning Through Song and Sound:

• Little Einsteins: Leo, Annie, Quincy and June are the Little Einsteins. This series is full of adventures that introduce kids to nature, world cultures and the arts in a brilliant way. Each episode has a mission and journey of discovery that incorporates a celebrated piece of classical music and a renowned work of art or world culture. The Little Einsteins use their passion and talents to work together and solve challenges very creatively. 
• Monkey Monkey Music: Music, singing and dancing by singer Meredith LeVande, that kids love to join in with.

• My Animal Friends: This series is about wildlife seen through the eyes of a child. Really well done!
• My Friends Tigger and Pooh: a 6-year-old girl named Darby and her puppy Buster, join Winnie the Pooh and Tigger on adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood. To help solve mysteries, Pooh and Tigger wear homemade superhero costumes and become Super Sleuths. With their new friend Darby they tackle some of the Hundred Acre Wood’s wonders. Episodes feature singalong music and encourage young viewers to take a thoughtful look at the world they live in.

STEM Adventures: Science, Math, and Marine Exploration:

• Nina and the Neurons:  A programme shown on the CBeebies channel to help kids understand basic science. Nina is a Neuroscientist who enlists the help of five Neurons (animated characters representing the senses) in her brain to answer a scientific question.
• Numbertime: A BBC educational children’s TV series that teaches about numbers, telling the time, money, shapes and mathematics. Cleverly put together and a lot of fun.
• Octonauts: An underwater exploring crew made up of anthropomorphic animals (having human characteristics). A team of eight adventurers who live in an undersea base, the Octopod, from where they go on undersea adventures with the help of a fleet of aquatic vehicles. It teaches about life under and on top of the sea, in a wonderful educational fun way. 

Fun with Words, Music, and Exploration:

• Oh Noah: An animation based on a curious, twelve year-old boy who learns new Spanish words each day while visiting his grandmother in Mexico.
• Patty Shukla: An American singer, songwriter and musician, and an internationally recognized expert in educational-interactive music for children.
• Peep and the Big Wide World: an animated series that teaches preschoolers science and math in an engaging and fun way. Set in an urban park, the show follows Peep, a newly hatched chicken, and his friends Chirp (a robin) and Quack (a duck) on their exciting adventures. Each episode introduces young viewers to science concepts, while live-action shorts feature real kids experimenting with similar ideas. The show combines humor, charm, and valuable lessons, making it enjoyable not only for younger kids but also for older viewers—my older kids and even my husband love it too!

Timeless Shows for All Ages:

• Playschool: Play School aims to encourage a child to wonder, to think, to feel and to imagine. The program shows two wonderfully talented people taking the time to be with one child. They address the child directly and personally. Play School aims to extend the child’s interest and it encourages participation. Each program contains a story, some songs (both traditional and new) and a variety of play ideas with things to make and do.
• Pocoyo: Pocoyo, the curious toddler dressed all in blue, joins Pato the yellow duck, Elly the pink elephant, Loula the dog, Sleepy Bird and many others in learning new things and having fun.
• Postman Pat: This classic children’s series follows the adventures of everyone’s favourite postman as he carries out his mail rounds in the village of Greendale.

Fun-Filled Journeys Through Words, Sounds, and Space:

• Raa Raa: Raa Raa and his friends go on a journey through the Jingly Jangly Jungle learning and developing their communication skills through the use of Raa Raa’s 4Rs. All the stories are strong, simple and linear with lots of wordplay. The stories are easy to follow and easy to retell. Rhythm, rhyme, and repetition play an important role in all episodes linking vocabulary to real life experiences and actions. The stories always feature explicit pro social messages: co-operation, joint problem-solving and appropriate behaviour, but above all, there’s lots of jingly jangly jungle fun!
• Razzle Dazzle: A BBC television programme for children that airs on CBeebies. It is an educational show that features Razzledazzle, a male orange creature with floppy ears and big brown eyes. The programme is designed to get the viewer to focus on sound, and, by sliding down magical slides, Razzledazzle visits four fictional areas, “Rhyme Time”, “Chit Chat”, “Bish! Bash! Bosh!” and “Once Upon A Tale”.
• Ready Jet Go: Earth science and astronomy take center stage in this animated series from PBS Kids. Two neighborhood kids — Sean and Sydney — befriend the new kid on the block, Jet Propulsion, who just happens to be an alien from planet Bortron 7. Together they explore the solar system and how it affects the planet, while also learning about friendship and teamwork. The series features live-action interstitials with astronomer Dr. Amy Mainzer. 

Interactive Adventures for Problem Solving and Learning:

• Ruff-Ruff Tweet and Dave: A show, set up in a game-show format, that follows the three title characters — a dog, a bird and a bear — as they go on adventures, during which they must make choices. The questions the animated characters face help them decide what to do and how to better understand the world around them. Viewers are able to join in the fun by answering the multiple-choice questions.
• Show Me Show Me: Chris, Pui and the toys teach about a specific theme (such as polar bears) in their magical playroom. They have a lot of fun playing games, singing songs and practicing groovy moves…
• Special Agent Oso: This Special Agent bear has to complete various tasks or exercises for his training. By watching him, children are confronted with a simple task that he or she could have trouble completing. Oso’s Paw Pilot helps Oso with a simplified step-by-step guide to completing the task.
• Spot Bots: This Cbeebies show aims to help develop the observation and attention skills of the young viewers watching. The show features a series of live-action sketches. Each sketch contains fun games, and viewers are encouraged to join in with the puzzles at home. Featuring in every episode are the Spot Bots, adorable animated robots who love to play games and puzzles.

• Steve Irwin: Videos by Steve Irwin, the legendary crocodile hunter and wildlife warrior; an environmentalist and conservationist. 

Songs, Stories, and Whimsical Adventures:

• Super Simple Songs: Original and classic songs made simple for young learners, focusing on creating songs that are appropriately paced, lyrically simple, full of space for movement, easily taught through gesture, and fun!
• Super Why: Four fairytale friends go on magical adventures and become reading-powered superheroes. The characters live in Storybook Village, which is accessible through a panel that is represented by an invisible question mark. Preschool children follow the Super Readers as they jump into books that come to life and learn how to spell and pronounce words.
• Tickety Toc: Tickety Toc revolves around a special clock located in the heart of an old clock shop, surrounded by a wall full of other timepieces. While the clock chimes the time every hour, behind its face lies a whimsical world where things don’t always go as planned. The show’s stars are 8-year-old twins Tommy and Tallulah, who race against time to keep the Tickety Toc Clock ticking smoothly. With endless enthusiasm, positivity, and determination, the siblings face challenges head-on—even if their efforts sometimes lead to even more chaos. The clock’s world is filled with colorful characters, including Pufferty, a dog-shaped train that helps the citizens of Tickety Town get around, McCoggins, the dedicated maintenance man, and Hopparoo, an accident-prone rabbit who is McCoggins’ apprentice and dreams of becoming a full-fledged maintenance worker. Together, they work to keep time running in Tickety Town!
• Tikkabilla: A British Daily magazine program for preschool children, with songs, rhymes and surprise guests.

• The Learning Station: An educational children’s musical group, comprising the husband-and-wife team Don and Laurie Monopoli, and their friend Jan Hrkach. Brilliant songs that teach loads and are lots of fun.
• Treetop Family: Treetop Family is an animated show for kids from the creators of Super Simple Songs. It’s full of adorable characters, catchy original nursery rhymes, and lots of learning and fun.
• Veritasium: A fantastic educational science channel on YouTube created by Derek Muller, a physicist. The videos range in style from interviews with experts, such as 2011 Physics Nobel Laureate Brian Schmidt, to fascinating science experiments, dramatisations, songs, and interviews with the public to uncover misconceptions about science. 
• Woolly and Tig: A British series of 5-minute live action dramas about a three-year-old girl (Tig) and her toy spider (Woolly). The episodes focus on the feelings that children may have when faced with new experiences. Woolly talks Tig through how she is feeling and possible solutions.
• ZingZillas: A music show aimed at children. It is set on a monkey-shaped tropical island where everyone joins in to create music magic. They use musical influences from all over the globe from rock to soul, jazz to samba, big band to orchestra.
• Zoboomafoo: Martin and Chris Kratt star in this incredible series that teaches children how to respect and care for animals. Zoboomafoo, a playful little lemur, hangs around Animal Junction with Matt and Chris. The watering hole is an animal pit stop where a steady stream of animal visitors wander in from around the globe. The series uses music and sounds from around the world, puppetry, animation and Claymation (Claymation is the generalized term for clay animation, a form of stop animation using clay) to entertain kids.
• Zou: About the day-to-day life and adventures of a young animated zebra, Zou (Bizou), and his family and friends. Zou lives with his mother, father, grandparents, and great-grandmother. Each episode features some simple problem or issue that Zou must deal with, usually with the assistance of his family and friends. Available in English, French and Spanish.  

Videos for Movement & Exercise

Watching videos doesn’t always mean sitting still! There are great channels that get kids up and moving while having fun. Whether it’s dancing, yoga, or interactive adventures, these videos can help kids burn energy in a positive way.

• Cosmic Kids Yoga – Fun, story-based yoga for kids. (Read my review here…)
• GoNoodle – High-energy movement and dance videos designed for kids.
• Just Dance Kids – Kid-friendly dance routines based on popular songs.

Continuous Discovery

We’re always on the lookout for new safe educational videos for the kids, to enrich our collection, and will update this list as we find more gems worth sharing.

Share Your Favorites

Do your kids have favorite videos not mentioned here? We’d love to check them out! Please share in the comments below.