Ask HN: What YouTube channels do you watch with your kids?
Parents of HN...
What do you kids like to watch on YouTube?
What do they like to watch that you also like to watch?
Looking for a collection of interesting, educational, or just generally entertaining channels that will help me battle the kids toy and gamer influencer channels that they're hooked on. Mark Rober has many great and some good science and engineering videos that my kids love: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY1kMZp36IQSyNx_9h4mpCg He get's my vote for the current best communicator of science, on par at times with Carl Sagan. This video explains neural nets/machine learning and had my kids riveted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmlRbfSavbI We've gone down some deep lego rabbit holes, such as the great ball contraption: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCmwskpxyCg These are pretty light but entertaining: https://www.youtube.com/@howridiculous https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGzXtNdhjPxvCNWFme1bG0g The latter is a guy that builds fresh water aquariums. The fact that he can do this full time for a living (via YouTube) is one of the most amazing and unlikely results of the internet (IMO). "Lifechanging" is how I would describe one's the first viewing of *Backyard Squirrel Maze 1.0- Ninja Warrior Course* Another vote for Mark Rober; though better for kids who are slightly older, and especially those into science. I’ll be honest, not much different than adults. I usually just find videos that interest me and share them with them. We watch them together. Lately it has been coral reefs and free diving. This sparks their interests. My kids will search for these topics too and get information and share with me. If it’s something weird or misinformation we can chat about it and talk about how everything online isn’t true Bluey. I know it was big last year, and I didn’t catch onto it then, but it is a delightful show and there are lots of clips & episodes on YouTube that are very easy to sit down with. Also Brio wood trains, which my kid loves - there are lots on YT - just some hand driving a train around a track. The show is wonderful. The parents have great patience and colorful imagination. I wish I was less of a robot and more like Bluey's father. :) My son is 2 years old. This is what I watch with him. Ms. Rachel: https://www.youtube.com/@msrachel
Curious George: https://www.youtube.com/@CuriousGeorge And yes I do watch along with him. There is a sort of learning experience for me too. Because I teach spreadsheets I want to get better at teaching. So I look for and watch educational videos about speaking/talking/Writing. Simple things so I can see what it's like for an absolute beginner. And how the learning process takes shape over many different days and weeks. But also Curious George show is a lot of fun. My son is also two. Approved channels are: Curious George, Ms. Rachel, Catie’s classroom, Mooseclumps, Monica Sutton, Bedtime Story Co, PBS kids, StoryTime PlayTime, Blippi, Blippi buddies: Meekah, Nat Geo kids, Free School We have a Slack channel with like 200+ founders who are parents in it. I just did a quick search and here are two of the channels they recommend in there: Mystery Science - science stuff for kids
https://www.youtube.com/@MysterySci Story Time at Awnie's House - reads kids books to kids
https://www.youtube.com/@AwniesHouse Really putting in some work on HN, Sam. What age and interests do they have? My young children like to watch Mr. Rogers I watch a lot of Sam Pilgrim with my son: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PDpqLylqeM Him and I like to bike together. In general, given a sport they're into, there's probably an entertaining goofball doing interesting things with it on youtube. Mostly nonsense ones - unboxing, a few minecraft, some football ones The educational stuff is BBC bitesize I dont mind them watching this stuff as it lets them switch off and have downtime when not doing anything For 2-3 year olds: Kid Crew https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXqgb_iVJtmE73ycq43ZZwA Noe’s Garden:
https://www.youtube.com/@noesgardenmusic Has a sort of Mr Rogers feel to it Animal videos from BBC Earth are a hit for our toddler, although we make sure ahead of time that there's no rapid zebra disassembly. My kids glue to their seats for Ted-ed MinuteEarth and their related channels Mark Rober Sometimes Extra History. Especially their series on how writing evolved. Dinosaur documentaries. Numberblocks/alphablocks Freeze dances Kids yoga videos Blippi Funny animal videos always gets a laugh 9yo boy. Current favorites are Geo History and History Scope. Although we've almost exhausted both. Lately he's been on a kick about camping, so lots of videos on how to build and maintain fires, survival shelters, how to manufacture tents(in a factory), etc. Last night was on the design and construction of the Abrahms and the Blackhawk pavelow. Tonight will be videos on CFCs and how they combine with Ozone, since he's been asking questions about that. (And I have no idea what the end molecules are, so I guess we'll both find out tonight). Highly curated YouTube to strictly educational content is all he is allowed on YouTube. His attitude during/after watching game streamers resulted in a ban about two years ago. We give him an experimental day where he can watch streamers every six months or so, always regret it when we do. kurzgesagt! Pororo