Post Published on March 17, 2020.
Last Updated on October 4, 2020 by davemackey.
Over the next few weeks as families find themselves largely isolated, without the usual support systems, and parents balancing work and child care more video will be watched by children than is the norm. I’ve compiled a list of some of the YouTube Children’s Videos / Shows my son enjoys the most from YouTube. Hopefully you’ll find some shows on this list that your child will enjoy too.
Avoiding Dangerous Content in YouTube Children’s Videos
YouTube can be a great resource for entertainment and learning but there is also the danger of exposure (especially for our children) to inappropriate content. I personally haven’t encountered this situation but have heard about it frequently enough from others that before I share some specific recommendations I’d like to also share a few principles that have helped me avoid this sort of content with our son:
- Origin – Look for videos that are coming from a trusted source. This could be the original content manufacturer or a third party that has shown consistency in delivering quality and authentic videos over an extended period of time.
- Age – Look for videos that have been on YouTube for some period of time. The longer the content has been on YouTube the less likely it is to have dangerous content – as it remaining online indicates others probably haven’t reported it as dangerous.
- Views – Look for videos with a high number of views. This indicates that many people have watched the video and that there hasn’t been a determination by the viewers that the content is dangerous.
None of these methods is foolproof but using these three in combination has helped me keep our son clear of disturbing materials.
Mighty Machines
Our son absolutely loves this show. Each episode is about “mighty machines” in a specific context – whether that is collecting garbage, building a road, or on a farm. Its real video of these machines at work with the individual machines being voiced by a few actors to provide a consistent and informative narrative. The episodes are usually 30-40 mins in length. Some of his favorite episodes include:
- All About Recycling
- At the Construction Site
- At the Fire Hall
- At the Garbage Dump
- At the Quarry
- At the Demolition Site
- Bringing in the Harvest
- Building a Truck
- Car Wreckers
- Giant Tow Trucks
- In the City
- Laying Down the Pipeline
- Machines Go To School
- Making a Road
We’ve watched a number of these videos on Multi Otomoto’s channel. Another source is the Building Machines channel.
Blippi
Another perennial favorite is Blippi. The show features a man dressed cartoonishly, using a high pitched voice, and oftentimes acting quite silly. This is a show parents both love and hate. It can be entertaining and informative but also a bit insanity inducing (for parents).
The episodes tend to be between 10-20 minutes long.
Here are a few of our favorite episodes:
- Blippi Visits the Aquarium
- Blippi Visits the Bakery
- Blippi Farm Tour
- Blippi Tours the Chocolate Factory
- Blippi Raspberry Factory Tour
- Crush a Car with a Blippi Excavator
- The Blippi Backhoe Video
- Blippi the Handyman
- Skid Steer with Blippi
- A Day on the Ranch for Kids
- Construction Trucks for Kids with Blippi
- Blippi Tools for Kids
- Blippi Visits the Zoo
- Blippi Explores Fire Trucks for Children
- Machines for Kids with Blippi
- Blippi Visits an Animal Shelter
- Learn About Forklifts with Blippi
Gecko’s Garage
A gecko interacts with various machines in his garage, performing fixing and painting the machines – mainly trucks. There are a huge number of these videos, they vary in length. The show is a little more subdued than some of the others so whether a child wants to watch the show often depends on their mood. You can watch the show on the official YouTube channel.
What YouTube Children’s Videos / Shows Does Your Child Enjoy?
I’d love to hear what shows/videos your child enjoys on YouTube! Let me also know if this is useful and we can have a Part 2 with a few more favorite channels. 🙂