With schools still closed during the extended Circuit Breaker and the school holidays brought forward, you’ll now need ideas to keep your primary school child occupied meaningfully.
It’s no secret that your child will request for screen time and you can’t deny that this will give you that much-needed peace and quiet, especially if you’re working from home.
Instead of having your child watch random videos on YouTube, there’s actually a wide selection of educational YouTube Channels with videos that were produced specially for kids!
We’ve helped you pick out the best ones – here’s a list of the top educational YouTube channels that your child can check out during the school holidays. The best part? Your child gets to learn new things while watching these videos, so you know that your child is spending his/her screen time purposefully.
Educational YouTube Channels for Your Primary Schooler
1. Crash Course Kids
From the creators of the Crash Course channel, which started off with bite-sized videos to teach high school students history and biology, Crash Course Kids offers bi-weekly educational shows for primary school kids.
Hosted by Canadian YouTuber Sabrina Cruz, new videos are uploaded every Tuesday and Thursday, covering topics like Earth and Physical Sciences, Biology, Geography and Astronomy. The three- to four-minute videos on this channel do a great job in keeping your child engaged as he/she digs deeper into various STEM topics, some of which may not be covered in the school syllabus.
2. SciShow
SciShow feeds your child’s curiosity about the world around him/her and beyond by exploring the unexpected.
With new uploads every day, the hosts delve into scientific subjects that defy what your child thinks he/she already knows about them. Some examples include the unexpected effects of pollution, how cold can earth get, why avocadoes shouldn’t exist, and more.
To keep up with the COVID-19 pandemic, there are also videos on the need to sanitise and wear the “right” type of face mask, as well as an explanation on why there isn’t a better and faster test for COVID-19 available at the moment.
3. Free School
Free School is a safe, friendly place to expose children to famous art, classical music, children’s literature and natural science in a fun, engaging and accessible way. Your child can browse through videos on biography, history, geology, oceanography and mythology, or check out playlists grouped by familiar subjects such as “Learn About the Moon”, “Solar System Tour”, and more.
What we love about this is that the videos are not only informative, they’re also designed to answer questions and anticipate a child’s next questions too! You’d definitely want to bookmark educational YouTube channels such as this for your child to watch during the holidays.
4. GEOgraphy Focus
As the name suggests, this channel is all about geography, covering topics such as maps, flags, culture, languages and travel. The videos walk your child through profiles of countries and regions around the world, and highlights the landmarks and geographical features – both natural and man-made – of each place.
There are also discussions of international issues which help your child to stay updated on current issues in an age-appropriate and relevant way.
5. Mike Likes Science
Does your child show resistance towards learning science but absolutely love music? Then the science-inspired music videos by Mike (formerly known as rapper Coma Niddy) might just do a trick to help your child learn in a way that captures his/her attention.
Besides a wide collection of rap tunes that explain the concepts of maths, science and coding, Mike also collaborates with the creators of other educational YouTube channels to discuss topics that reveal interesting (and sometimes, strange) science facts.
6. Minute Physics
Minute Physics is one of the best educational YouTube channels for teaching physics to kids in a way that is simple and easy to remember. From explaining topics like antimatter and gravity to devising an effective method to understand the periodic table, the videos on this channel break down the concepts with hand-drawn illustrations and craft materials.
While the videos are designed for primary schoolers to help them study the subject more effectively, some of the simpler videos may even appeal to younger kids. This will get them interested in science before they start learning the subject in school.
7. The Spangler Effect
Hosted by Steve Spangler, who is a best-selling author, educator and Emmy award-winning science communicator, the videos on this channel are all about showcasing the most creative ways to make science fun for kids.
With a focus on inquiry-based science and strategies, your child will get to explore interesting topics and “what if” situations through DIY experiments. Some examples include the egg drop inertia challenge, colourful liquid nitrogen cloud explosion and how to make slime out of glue.
8. Mathantics
Mathantics is not only an educational YouTube channel for kids, but it is also a supplemental maths website to help primary school children strengthen their foundation in the subject.
The videos on the channel feature interactive walk-throughs on maths concepts such as fractions, percentages, probabilities, geometry, algebra, statistics and more. The host is also known to perform random, entertaining stunts such as juggling to retain your child’s interest in the topic throughout the video.
Additionally, the website offers worksheets and answer keys, which are available for a nominal annual subscription fee.
9. The Dad Lab
The Dad Lab is a website and YouTube channel run by a father of two, Sergei Urban. His STEM videos are particularly delightful for children to watch as they feature his kids carrying out simple but visually stunning home science experiments.
Many of these experiments can also be done at home with basic materials, so this could be your chance to get your hands dirty with your children! Amaze them with colourful and fun activities like making water flow uphill, cloud dough, and sensory challenges.
These easy and engaging activities are sure to show your children how fun STEM can be.
10. Muffalo Potato
Are your children keen on arts and crafts? Muffalo Potato is a unique drawing show on YouTube that utilises letters and numbers to create drawings.
The show’s host, John, speaks directly to the children with a high energy that draws their attention immediately. He is easy to listen to and his careful instructions are simple, even for younger children to follow along to.
Along with his puppet, Muffalo, he uses letters and numbers as the basis for drawings. This helps to reinforce your child’s understanding of basic shapes as they learn to create more complex art forms. It is a good way for young learners to hone their fine motor skills by improving their pencil grip and hand-eye coordination as well.
Read also: 8 Free E-Learning Resources to Occupy Your Kids with at Home
We hope that the list of educational YouTube channels we’ve put together will help you plan for an enriching learning experience for your child over the school holidays. Let’s do all we can to spark the love for learning in our young learners and nurture their curiosity towards learning beyond their textbooks!
Written by Justina Goh