What Are The Best YouTube Channels For Teachers To Use In The Classroom?
As both hardware and software design improve, the possibility of mobile learning is increasingly accessible.
Video is undoubtedly at or near the core of a modern mobile learning experience. (As opposed to, say, an early 20th-century ‘mobile’ experience that was likely hands-on, place-based, and experiential.) To actually be useful beyond the cool-video-as-a-writing-prompt-every-once-in-a-while stage is going to require smarter tools. Teachers need to be able to capture, upload, download, edit, slow down, speed up, annotate, curate, share, and otherwise ‘own’ video content so that is fully merges with everything else.
In 12 Ways To Make YouTube Safer For Children, we provided tools and strategies to mitigate some of the dangers of using YouTube. Teaching with YouTube? Here are 45 resources, from apps and guides to websites, articles, and tips to get the most of YouTube in your classroom.
Let us know in the comments what your favorites are and which channels that we may have missed.
See also 10 Of The Best Free Curriculum Resources For Teachers
The Best YouTube Channels For Teaching And Learning (Ranked By Popularity)
2.9 billion+ views & 2 billion+ views (respectively)
TED-Ed & TED are established frontrunners when it comes to resources for teaching with YouTube. While TED is a curation of talks from experts in virtually every field imaginable, TED-Ed produces shorter, animated content relative to education. Learn about the language of lying, what makes muscles grow, how sugar affects the brain, and thousands of other topics!
3.8 billion+ views
The Infographics Show focuses on making animated motion infographic videos, made in a fun and entertaining way. The single most popular channel on our list, they include content on topics like what happens when you die, El Chapo’s prison cell security, and what made the Black Plague so deadly.
2.2 billion+ views
Vsauce explores all of our unanswered questions, like what it is like to travel inside a black hole, what happens when you shoot a gun in outer space, and whether or not the 5-second rule has any legitimacy.
1.9 billion+ views
Khan Academy provides free, interactive articles, videos, and practice problems for students learning STEM, mathematics, physics, history, grammar, biology, economics, chemistry, finance, and other topics. They also offer free personalized SAT practice in partnership with the College Board.
1.9 billion+ views
One of the most popular channels on our list, PBS Kids creates curriculum-based videos to enhance knowledge acquisition, critical thinking skills, imagination, and curiosity.
1.8 billion+ views
This eccentric channel explains topics with “optimistic nihilism.” Some of their most interesting and popular videos explain the immune system, genetic engineering, and what would happen if you detonated a nuclear bomb.
1.8 billion+ views
This family uploads art lessons for kids on a weekly basis. Most of their posts’ titles start with “How To Draw A,” with the subjects ranging from scary vampire doughnuts and sandhill crane birds to wolf spiders and Koopa shells.
Crash Course & Crash Course Kids
1.6 billion views+ & 71 million+ views
Crash Course has produced more than 32 courses on a wide variety of subjects, including organic chemistry, literature, world history, biology, philosophy, theater, ecology, and many other education subjects. Crash Course Kids hones in on planet Earth, habitats, outer space, chemical reactions, engineering, and other science topics with host Sabrina Cruz.
1.4 billion+ views & 202.7 million+ views (respectively)
SciShow explores the unexpected. Seven days a week, hosts, Hank Green, Michael Aranda, Rose Bear Don’t Walk, and Stefan Chin delve into the scientific subjects that defy our expectations. SciShow Kids explores topics that pique young learners’ curiosities, like echolocation, emotions, and why foods are certain colors.
1.6 billion+ views
Creators Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown set out to help science make sense. They’re the innovators behind the popular Periodic Table song and Pi song, but also take on more ‘controversial’ topics like smoking vs. vaping, the science of cheating, and the body during sex (obviously meant for more mature audiences).
See also 11 Of The Best YouTube Channels For Learning English
1.5 billion+ views
Veritasium is a science-related YouTube channel, based on debunking science myths and explaining science problems, as well as theories.
ABCMouse Early Learning Academy
1.35 billion+ views
ABCmouse.com Early Learning Academy is a leading online learning program for children ages 2-8. Their curricular resources include over 8,500 learning activities and 850+ lessons for pre-school through 2nd grade, including reading, ELA, mathematics, science, social studies, health, art, and music.
1 billion+ views
Host Destin Sandlin explores the world through science, featuring slow-motion videos, and in-depth science experiments, as well as in-depth behind-the-scenes tours through scientific organizations, such as NASA.
923.7 million+ views
Simple History brings history to life through animated videos. They explore how people and cultures lived, how technology was developed, how wars were won (or lost), and more. Some of their most exciting videos explore Rasputin, sniper decoys, and WWII infantry weapons.
172.3 million+ views and 615.2 million+ views (respectively)
These sister channels produce content on–you guessed it–all things computer- and math-related! Some of Computerphile’s most popular videos discuss electronic voting, password storage, and programming language, while Numberphile’s greatest hits touch on the problem with zero, the golden ratio, and the scientific way to cut a cake.
715.3 million+ views
The School of Life is made up of psychologists, writers, philosophers, and other experts who are committed to helping people lead more calm, resilient lives. Videos focus on how to understand ourselves better, improve our relationships, take stock of our careers and deepen our social connections – as well as find serenity and grow more confident in facing challenges.”
611.4 million+ views
Alphablocks features 26 letter characters who strive to help learners grasp phonetic skills through their songs, adventures, and comedy.
489.5 million+ views
Want to teach students what happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force? Why the solar system is flat? How black holes work? Visit this channel to present the answers in easily digestible video format.
438.3 million+ views
Big Think prides itself on being the leader of “expert-driven, actionable, educational content.” Their experts are known for a disruptive/innovative approach to education and their content explores big ideas and skills that are pertinent to 21st-century learning.
418.5 million+ views
Formerly known as “It’s Okay To Be Smart,” this channel explores the science behind virtual anything, including the following questions: Why is blue so rare in nature? How does an igloo keep you warm? and How were the pyramids built?
366.7 million+ views
Make has great potential for PBL–their channel is full of exciting projects that can be completed in traditional, blended, or at-home learning environments. Students can easily learn how to screenprint, make a flash drive, or build a birdhouse.
259.9 million+ views
Storyline Online creates videos that feature celebrities reading children’s literature, set to creatively-produced animations, with the goal of promoting literacy and a love of reading in children. We’re particularly fond of Betty White’s narration of “Harry The Dirty Dog.”
227.6 million+ views
Math Antics explores just about any topic in the mathematical realm, from long division and order of operations to percentages and finding the common denominator.
192.8 million+ views
Thinkr is a unique channel that produces content centering on game-changing books, expert opinions, thought leadership, exploration of rhetoric and speechmaking, and prodigies making exciting moves in the 21st century.
175.2 million+ views
Paul Andersen is an experienced science teacher and education consultant who leads training for students, educators, and principals all over the globe. His content specializes in Next Generation Science Standards, flipped classroom models, and classroom design.
160 million+ views
FreeSchool exposes kids to well-known art, classical music, literature, and natural science in a kid-friendly way.
142 million+ views
The Amoeba Sisters are determined to help demystify science–specifically high school biology–through humor and up-to-date videos, comics, GIFS, and other resources.
124.3 million+ views
Want to know how something works? From grenades and air conditioners to Victorian etiquette and what happens when you die, there’s not much this channel doesn’t cover!
120.6 million+ views
Nat Geo Kids shares “weird, wild, and wacky videos featuring awesome animals, cool science, funny pets, and more!”
107.3 million+ views
Biography highlights famous or important personalities and historical or current events with compelling, informative perspectives, told through a nonfiction lens.
95.6 million+ views
Sixty Symbols posts videos about physics and astronomy for high school-aged learners. Some of their most popular explorations delve into the transparency of glass, the scale of the universe, and why time is slower in rockets.
88 million+ views
This fun channel is known for presenting facts on a range of topics, from tornadoes, carnivorous plants, and megalodons to dwarf planets, the Bermuda triangle, and the history of Santa Claus!
39.3 million+ views
Edutopia shares diverse content for teachers interested in learning about integrating edtech, SEL, project-based learning, and more.
38.7 million+ views
Brightstorm hosts over 1,300 videos for high school students who need assistance with mathematics, science, ELA, and test perp. All of their videos are led by teachers who know exactly what they’re talking about!
36.3 million+ views
Vanessa Hill is a behavioral scientist who utilizes her channel to explore topics in neuroscience, psychology, and personal development.
35.9 million+ views
Host Emily, the Chief Curiosity Correspondent of The Field Museum in Chicago, former volunteer of the University of Montana Zoological Museum, shares behind the scenes looks at the museum’s collection.
16.7 million+ views
Look no further for video content designed to help teacher teach digital citizenship to students. Their videos feature topics on behaving safely, responsibly, and respectfully in online environments.
15.3 million+ views
BrainPOP publishes animated content and games to support learning in traditional, blended, and flipped classroom settings. Some of their most popular videos guide students in learning about plate tectonics, media literacy, and the Black Lives Matter movement.
5.5 million+ views
Keeler is an expert in edtech integration, and her channel is dedicated to helping teachers use today’s technology in order to enhance instruction and foster strong relationships with students. She believes that “technology should improve learning through interactions, better feedback, increased relevance, and facilitating a student-centered classroom.”
2 million+ views
Jeff Bradbury is a TedX speaker, Google for Education Certified Trainer and Innovator who publishes weekly instructional technology tutorials that cover topics from flipped learning, blended learning, and distance learning.
1.6 million+ views
Kasey Bell, creator of ShakeUp Learning, posts regular free tips for teachers related to using technology. Her resources are particularly useful for educators wanting to learn more about Google Classroom and how to use other Google tools.