YouTube is an incredible tool for bringing excitement and depth to homeschool lessons. In our family, music and videos have played a huge role in making learning fun and meaningful. When I first started homeschooling my oldest, I had no idea what curriculum—if any—I needed. All I knew was that I wanted to teach her to read. Music videos ended up being our secret weapon; they taught her letter sounds, and from there, she took off!
Since then, we’ve discovered how much videos can enrich our lessons and how music adds joy and energy to learning. Whenever my kids and I hit a roadblock with a tricky concept, I turn to YouTube for fresh explanations from other great educators. Having a curated list of quality YouTube channels has truly transformed and enhanced our homeschool experience.
Select a subject to view its recommended educational YouTube channels and resources.
Early Learning
Numberblocks
We are the Numberblocks! Little blocks with big ideas, having a ton of number fun. Learn how to add, subtract and count the fun and educational way!
Watch on YouTubeScratch Garden
Scratch Garden creates fun, educational videos for children, educators, students, and anyone who enjoys laughing and learning. Its entertaining, age-friendly videos combine original music and jokes with lessons about English, science, art, math, skip counting, coding, social-emotional learning, nursery rhymes, camp songs, and movement-based brain breaks.
Watch on YouTubeJack Hartmann Kids Music Channel
Jack’s research-based, teacher-approved music helps children learn important state, national, and early childhood standards through engaging educational content, fun movements, and cool beats kids love.
Watch on YouTubeAlphablocks (Official)
The Alphablocks are 26 living letters who discover that something magical happens whenever they hold hands and make a word. Through adventures, songs, and silliness, this popular CBeebies show brings phonics to life and helps children learn to read and spell in English.
Watch on YouTubeNetflix Jr.
Welcome to the official Netflix Jr. channel! Kids can learn, sing, and play with their favorite Netflix characters – from StoryBots to Super Monsters and everyone in between.
Watch on YouTubePreschool Prep Company
Preschool Prep Company offers award-winning books and videos used in millions of homes and schools worldwide. Its programs teach letters, numbers, shapes, colors, sight words, phonics, letter sounds, digraphs, blends, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
Watch on YouTubeBBC Earth Kids
BBC Earth Kids combines fun facts, amazing creatures, familiar faces, drawing tips, pet adventures, and fascinating information about our planet. It also features specially selected clips from the BBC’s natural-history programs for curious young explorers.
Watch on YouTubeGrammar & Phonics / Reading & Writing Channels
Study Hall: Composition
Arizona State University’s Study Hall content helps learners develop new skills through accessible college-level instruction. This composition playlist focuses on strengthening writing and communication skills.
Watch on YouTubeKhan Academy Grammar Playlist
Khan Academy is a nonprofit that provides free, world-class education through interactive practice, articles, and videos. This playlist focuses specifically on grammar instruction.
Watch on YouTubeJohn Green’s Crash Course Literature
John Green explores literature using introductory college-level concepts, examining characters, settings, narrators, perspective, plot, structure, conflict, interpretive lenses, ambiguity, and themes.
Watch on YouTubeUpper Level Math
3Blue1Brown
Grant Sanderson’s videos cover mathematics and related fields such as physics and computer science, using animation and visualization to explain core ideas, simplify difficult problems, and offer new perspectives on challenging topics.
Watch on YouTubePatrickJMT
Patrick J has created free mathematics videos since 2007, offering clear instruction across a wide range of math topics.
Watch on YouTubeProfessor Leonard
This channel is dedicated to providing free, high-quality mathematics education through course-specific playlists.
Watch on YouTubeYayMath
YayMath.org features math videos filmed in a live classroom, emphasizing meaningful human connections to create deep and inspired learning.
Watch on YouTubeKhan Academy
Khan Academy is a nonprofit that provides free, world-class education through interactive practice, articles, and videos covering math, science, history, economics, finance, grammar, and other subjects.
Watch on YouTubeMathademics
Math tutorials by qualified, creative individuals.
Watch on YouTubeMath Antics
Math Antics offers free instructional math videos, with additional subscription-based content available through its website.
Watch on YouTubeMathologer
Mathologer provides accessible explanations of challenging and beautiful mathematics. The channel is led by Monash University mathematics professor Burkard Polster and supported by a team of longtime collaborators.
Watch on YouTubeEddie Woo (Mr WooTube)
Eddie Woo teaches mathematics at a public high school in Sydney, Australia, and is also an author and television host. He believes learning is awesome and enjoys sharing what he has learned with others.
Watch on YouTubeNumberphile
Numberphile features videos about numbers and mathematics created by Brady Haran since 2011, with support from Jane Street and Patreon supporters.
Watch on YouTubeStand-up Maths
I do mathematics and stand-up. Sometimes simultaneously. Occasionally while being filmed. (It’s quite the Venn diagram.)
Watch on YouTubeThe Video Math Tutor
The Video Math Tutor offers a complete Basic Math (Pre-Algebra) series, along with study tips, calculator tips, brain teasers, and more math-tutoring videos.
Watch on YouTubeWOWmath
WOW MATH provides video tutorials to help students from Grades 7-12 and college set their worries aside and enjoy learning mathematics.
Watch on YouTubeSocial Studies Channels
Crash Course
CrashCourse provides free, high-quality educational videos and has produced more than 60 courses covering subjects from the humanities to the sciences. It also partners with Arizona State University to offer additional courses through the Study Hall channel.
Watch on YouTubeGeography Now
Geography Now is the first YouTube channel to have covered every UN-listed country alphabetically. After 10 years of talking about the world from a studio, the channel is beginning a new chapter by going out and talking to the world.
Watch on YouTubeNational Geographic
National Geographic brings science, exploration, and adventure to audiences through stories, images, and videos that showcase the world’s wonder and beauty.
Watch on YouTubePBS Eons
Join hosts Kallie Moore, Michelle Barboza-Ramirez, Gabriel Santos, and Blake de Pastino on a journey through the history of life on Earth – from its beginnings in the Archaean Eon and the Age of Dinosaurs to the end of the most recent Ice Age.
Watch on YouTubeRealLifeLore
Answers to questions that you’ve never asked. Welcome to the RealLifeLore community.
Watch on YouTubeSimple History
Simple History brings the past to life through animation, exploring historical cultures, technological developments, battles, events, and everyday experiences.
Watch on YouTubeKings and Generals
Kings and Generals provides accurate, engaging, and accessible military-history content. Its videos use detailed maps, graphics, animations, and in-depth analysis to explore campaigns, battles, and strategies from the ancient world to the modern era.
Watch on YouTubeTED-Ed
TED-Ed’s mission is to create lessons worth sharing through award-winning animated educational shorts.
Watch on YouTubeTimeline – World History Documentaries
Timeline presents weekly world-history documentaries and series from leading broadcasters, including the BBC, Channel 4, Discovery, and PBS. Topics include ancient Egypt, medieval Europe, and the World Wars.
Watch on YouTubeAlternateHistoryHub
AlternateHistoryHub explores historical What If? scenarios using geography, population, and other facts to consider how the world might have developed differently.
Watch on YouTubeScience Channels
Amoeba Sisters
The Amoeba Sisters use humor and memorable videos, GIFs, comics, and resources to make biology easier to understand. Their content focuses on high school biology but can also help introductory college students.
Watch on YouTubeAsapSCIENCE
Making science make sense.
Watch on YouTubeBe Smart
Be Smart provides deep answers to simple questions about science and the universe – with some dad jokes included. It is hosted by Joe Hanson, PhD, a molecular biologist and award-winning science communicator and journalist.
Watch on YouTubeCrash Course
CrashCourse provides free, high-quality educational videos and has produced more than 60 courses covering subjects from the humanities to the sciences.
Watch on YouTubeLife Noggin
Life Noggin answers viewers’ questions about life and the brain. Host Blocko explores entertaining science hypotheticals, and viewers can submit questions for a chance to have them answered.
Watch on YouTubeMinuteEarth
Science and stories about our awesome planet!
Watch on YouTubeMinutePhysics
Simply put: cool physics and other sweet science. If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.
Watch on YouTubePeriodic Videos
Periodic Videos is a chemistry channel featuring a video about every element on the periodic table and weekly videos about science news, interesting molecules, and other chemistry topics.
Watch on YouTubeSciShow
SciShow explores unexpected scientific subjects that challenge expectations and inspire curiosity. More content is available through SciShow Kids, SciShow Tangents, SciShow Space, and SciShow Psych.
Watch on YouTubeScience Max
Science Max asks what familiar science experiments would be like if they were huge, then super-sizes them in an exciting educational series.
Watch on YouTubeSick Science
Sick Science provides content for educators and science enthusiasts featuring Steve Spangler, a bestselling author, STEM educator, Emmy Award-winning television personality, and creator of the original Mentos and Diet Coke video.
Watch on YouTubeSmarter Every Day
I explore the world using science. That’s pretty much all there is to it. Watch two videos, and if you learn something awesome, please subscribe if you feel like I earned it.
Watch on YouTubeSteve Mould
I make videos about science.
Watch on YouTubeVeritasium
An element of truth – videos about science, education, and anything else we find interesting.
Watch on YouTubeVsauce
Our world is amazing.
Watch on YouTubeWorld Science Festival
The World Science Festival produces long- and short-form videos about physics, biology, the brain, robotics, medicine, space, engineering, Earth, and many other scientific subjects. Its mission is to create a public that is informed by science and inspired by its wonder.
Watch on YouTubeKurzgesagt – In a Nutshell
Kurzgesagt creates animated videos that explain science and the world through optimistic nihilism and engaging storytelling, aiming to spark curiosity by showing that nothing is boring when it is told well.
Watch on YouTubeBBC Earth Lab
BBC Earth Science, formerly BBC Earth Lab, explores the science of the world around us and beyond through unusual, unseen, unexplained, and thought-provoking topics.
Watch on YouTubeBBC Earth
BBC Earth brings viewers extraordinary wildlife, exciting action, fascinating ideas, and the wonder of our planet. It is home to acclaimed Sir David Attenborough series and many other nature and wildlife documentaries.
Watch on YouTubeBBC Earth Science
BBC Earth Science explores the science of the world around us and beyond, offering insights into the unusual, unseen, and unexplained while challenging perceptions and broadening horizons.
Watch on YouTubeHistory Channels
AlternateHistoryHub
AlternateHistoryHub explores historical What If? scenarios using geography, population, and other facts to consider how the world might have developed differently.
Watch on YouTubeCrash Course
CrashCourse provides free, high-quality educational videos across more than 60 courses, including engaging series about world history, U.S. history, government, economics, and other social-studies subjects.
Watch on YouTubeHistory Buffs
History Buffs reviews historical movies and examines how closely each film follows the true story.
Watch on YouTubeHISTORY (The History Channel)
The HISTORY Channel presents historical storytelling through documentaries, nonfiction series, and fact-based scripted programming.
Watch on YouTubeHistoria Civilis
Civic history.
Watch on YouTubeKings and Generals
Kings and Generals uses detailed maps, graphics, animations, and analysis to explore important military campaigns, battles, and strategies throughout history.
Watch on YouTubeThe Armchair Historian
The Armchair Historian uses animation to explain military conflicts, political events, historical figures, and the experiences of people who lived through the past.
Watch on YouTubeThe History Guy
The History Guy shares engaging stories of forgotten history, generally between five and fifteen minutes long, because history deserves to be remembered and does not have to be boring.
Watch on YouTubeThe Great War
The Great War covers the First World War from its causes and origins through its violent aftermath, examining the important events that shaped the world more than a century ago.
Watch on YouTubeOverSimplified
Explaining history in an OverSimplified way through entertaining animation.
Watch on YouTubeTimeline – World History Documentaries
Timeline presents weekly world-history documentaries and series from leading broadcasters, exploring subjects such as ancient Egypt, medieval Europe, and the First and Second World Wars.
Watch on YouTubeTasting History with Max Miller
Every Tuesday, Max Miller shows viewers how to make a different historic dish while exploring the history surrounding it.
Watch on YouTubeStudy Tips and Tricks
How to Study Less and Get Higher Grades
A video about studying more efficiently while working toward higher grades.
Watch on YouTubeHow I Take Notes: Materials and Tips for Writing Notes Quickly
A practical look at note-taking materials and techniques for writing notes more quickly.
Watch on YouTubeBecome a Top 1% Student: Study Tips, Organization Hacks, and Motivation
Study strategies, organization ideas, and motivation for improving academic performance.
Watch on YouTubeTaking Notes Effectively: Which Words Should You Write Down?
Guidance for deciding which information and words are important enough to include in your notes.
Watch on YouTube3 Tips on How to Study Effectively
Three practical tips for making study time more effective.
Watch on YouTubeThe Ultimate Mind Map Tutorial (How to Take Notes)
A tutorial on using mind maps to organize ideas and take useful notes.
Watch on YouTubeHow to Take Notes Effectively | Jim Kwik
Jim Kwik shares strategies for taking and using notes more effectively.
Watch on YouTubeTaking Notes: Crash Course Study Skills #1
Crash Course Study Skills introduces practical methods for taking useful notes.
Watch on YouTubeTest Anxiety: Crash Course Study Skills #8
Crash Course Study Skills explains test anxiety and strategies for managing it.
Watch on YouTubePrepPros – SAT & ACT Test Prep
SAT and ACT preparation lessons, strategies, and test-taking guidance.
Watch on YouTubePratik Vangal
Videos offering study strategies, academic advice, and ideas for improving student performance.
Watch on YouTubeJames Lu SAT
SAT preparation lessons, tips, and test-taking strategies.
Watch on YouTubeHayden Rhodea SAT
SAT preparation guidance and strategies designed to help students improve their scores.
Watch on YouTube