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. I have color-coded each type of video to help you easily find the type of viewing you’re 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.

Engaging Characters and Fun Learning:

• Bounce Patrol: An Australian children’s group with fun, family-friendly music and songs 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 company creates engaging, animated cartoons that make learning fun for young children. Their videos cover topics like numbers, shapes, colors, and traffic signs, all taught by a friendly robot and a shape roller coaster. With vibrant animation and catchy content, these videos turn learning into an enjoyable experience for kids.
• 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: Debbie Doo is a fun-loving, bubbly character with bright pink hair and a contagious smile. She uses positivity and uplifting movement-based songs to teach lessons, encouraging adult-child interaction through music, dance, and joy.
• 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: This fun educational video series follows a brother and sister from another planet as they explore Earth. They learn about various animals, like penguins, sharks, crocodiles, and tigers.
• 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: This heartwarming story follows Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Nutbrown Hare as they express their love for each other using increasingly large measures. While the simple tale focuses on love, it also explores themes like sharing, nest building, and appreciating the world around us.
• Guess with Jess: Jess the Cat, from Postman Pat, stars in his own show where he investigates big questions with the help of his friends: Willow, a wise pony, and Billie, a mouse with a magnifying glass. Together, they explore the world around them, learning valuable lessons along the way.

• 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: This educational series covers nursery rhymes, pre-k content, basic numbers, language learning, kids’ recipes, art, crafts, and children’s entertainment.
• Imagination Movers: The series follows the Imagination Movers—Dave, Rich, Smitty, and Scott—who solve ‘Idea Emergencies’ in their creative ‘Idea Warehouse.’ With help from Warehouse Mouse and their cheerful neighbor Nina, the Movers use special equipment and creative thinking to solve problems. This fun series promotes problem-solving skills through entertaining adventures.

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

• KidsHealth: An educational series that teaches children in a humorous way about the various parts of their bodies and how they function.
• LazyTown: This Icelandic educational musical comedy, based on a children’s book by gymnastics champion Magnús Scheving, features the character Sportacus. The program encourages kids to live healthy lives by promoting good food choices and regular 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: Darby, a 6-year-old girl, and her puppy Buster join Winnie the Pooh and Tigger on adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood. As Super Sleuths in homemade superhero costumes, they solve mysteries and explore the wonders of the Wood. Episodes feature singalong music and encourage young viewers to think thoughtfully about the world around them.

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: A team of eight anthropomorphic animals explores the sea from their undersea base, the Octopod. With the help of aquatic vehicles, they embark on educational adventures that teach kids about life under and above the sea in a fun and engaging 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: This animated series teaches preschoolers science and math through the adventures of Peep, a newly hatched chicken, and his friends Chirp and Quack. Set in an urban park, each episode introduces science concepts, while live-action shorts show real kids experimenting with similar ideas. Combining humor, charm, and valuable lessons, the show is enjoyable for younger kids and even older viewers, including my older children and husband.

Timeless Shows for All Ages:

• Playschool: Play School encourages children to wonder, think, feel, and imagine. Two talented hosts engage directly with a child, fostering curiosity and participation. Each episode includes a story, songs (both new and traditional), and play ideas, encouraging creativity through activities to make and do.
• Pocoyo: Pocoyo, a curious toddler in blue, joins his friends—Pato the duck, Elly the elephant, Loula the dog, and Sleepy Bird—as they explore and have fun, learning new things along the way.
• 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 explore the Jingly Jangly Jungle, using Raa Raa’s 4Rs to develop communication skills. The simple, linear stories feature rhythm, rhyme, and repetition, linking vocabulary to real-life actions. Episodes promote pro-social behaviors like cooperation and problem-solving, all while offering plenty of fun and wordplay
• Razzle Dazzle: This BBC children’s program, aired on CBeebies, features Razzledazzle, an orange creature with floppy ears, who explores sound through magical slides. He visits four fictional areas: ‘Rhyme Time,’ ‘Chit Chat,’ ‘Bish! Bash! Bosh!’ and ‘Once Upon A Tale,’ engaging young viewers in educational fun.
• Ready Jet Go: In this PBS Kids animated series, two kids, Sean and Sydney, befriend Jet Propulsion, an alien from Bortron 7. Together, they explore the solar system and its impact on Earth, learning about friendship and teamwork. The series also features live-action segments with astronomer Dr. Amy Mainzer, focusing on Earth science and astronomy.

Interactive Adventures for Problem Solving and Learning:

• Ruff-Ruff Tweet and Dave: This game-show-style animated series follows a dog, a bird, and a bear on their adventures, where they face multiple-choice questions that help them make decisions and understand the world around them. Viewers can join in by answering the questions along with the characters.
• Show Me Show Me: Chris, Pui, and the toys teach a specific theme (like polar bears) in their magical playroom, engaging in fun games, singing songs, and practicing groovy moves.
• Special Agent Oso: This Special Agent bear completes training tasks with help from his Paw Pilot, who provides a simplified, step-by-step guide. As children watch, they are encouraged to tackle simple tasks themselves.
• Spot Bots: This CBeebies show helps develop observation and attention skills through live-action sketches featuring fun games and puzzles. Viewers are encouraged to join in at home, with adorable animated robots, the Spot Bots, leading the way.

• Steve Irwin: Videos featuring Steve Irwin, the legendary crocodile hunter and wildlife conservationist, focused on environmentalism and animal conservation.

Songs, Stories, and Whimsical Adventures:

• Super Simple Songs: Original and classic songs simplified for young learners, with easy lyrics, slow pacing, space for movement, and gestures, making learning fun and engaging.
• Super Why: Four fairytale friends become reading-powered superheroes on magical adventures. They live in Storybook Village, accessed through an invisible question mark. Preschoolers follow the Super Readers as they jump into books, bringing them to life while learning to spell and pronounce words.
• Tickety Toc: Tickety Toc follows 8-year-old twins Tommy and Tallulah as they race to keep the Tickety Toc Clock running smoothly in a whimsical world behind the clock face. They are joined by colorful characters like Pufferty the dog-shaped train, McCoggins the maintenance man, and Hopparoo, an accident-prone rabbit. Together, they face challenges and keep time ticking in Tickety Town!
• Tikkabilla: A British Daily magazine program for preschool children, with songs, rhymes and surprise guests.

Fun and Inspiring Learning Channels for Kids: Music, Science, and Animation:

• 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. 

Engaging and Educational Kids’ Shows: Emotions, Music, and Animal Adventures:

• 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, and big band to orchestra.
• Zoboomafoo: Martin and Chris Kratt host this fun, educational series that teaches kids to respect and care for animals. The playful lemur Zoboomafoo joins the Kratt brothers at Animal Junction, where animals from around the world visit the watering hole. The show combines puppetry, animation, Claymation, and global music to entertain while imparting valuable lessons on animal care and the natural world.
• 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.