I know screen time isn't the best thing for kids, but in small amounts (in my opinion) it can be very educational. Since my daughter was born 13 weeks early she always had a bit of a delay with her milestones. If you don't know about "adjusted ages" are for children who are born very early, it is the development age they are. For example, when she was 12 months old (actual age) she was really developmentally 9 months old (adjusted age).
Why is this relevant? I realized that when she would watch YouTube Kids videos she started learning stuff I didn't know she was picking up on. She was delayed in her speech, but started saying words she learned from these YouTube kids videos we would watch. It started out with her singing along with songs, even before she would talk to us, so we were impressed she was able to memorize and sing songs.
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My daughter has always loved music from the time she was in the NICU until this day, so we love YouTube kids. My son, who is almost 18 months old also loves watching these videos and they have both learned colors, animals, animal sounds, the alphabet, numbers, and so much more. So to me, screen time can be positive as long as it's not excessive. I also think it allows them to be creative because they sing along and dance around the house to the songs and videos. Happy children equals happy mom and when the music starts, they immediately start smiling and dancing.
What Ways Do We Watch YouTube Videos?
We watch and listen to these videos in a few ways depending on what kind of activities we are doing.
TV Streaming- The most common way we listen to these songs and watch the videos is streaming it from our phones to the TV. It becomes a family activity when we all interact with each other singing the songs and dancing.
Kids Tablet- Occasionally my daughter will use her Amazon Fire Kids tablet to watch videos and also play games.
Nest Hub- We have a Nest Hub in our kitchen that we use when we are cooking dinner. The kids request music to be played over it so they can spend time in the kitchen with us and dance around.
Keep reading for a list of our favorite YouTube Kids channels that we subscribe to (and listen to on repeat).
What Are The Best YouTube Kids Channels?
1. Bounce Patrol
We stumbled upon Bounce Patrol accidentally while looking for a good version of "The Wheels On The Bus Song." Bounce Patrol is a group of 5 or 6 adults based in Australia, that sings original and classic kids songs for all seasons. They put their own catchy spin on classic songs that will definitely get stuck in your head, but you'll be ok with it. I actually enjoy listening to all of their songs because they are fun to listen to. Their videos have bright colors and graphics to help kids learn about the topics they're singing about.
2. SuperSimple Songs
SuperSimple Songs sounds exactly like what it is. A YouTube Kids channel full of super simple songs for them to learn. They use a mix of puppets and illustrations in their videos and for all seasons. Kids will learn a lot watching these videos from how to get dressed to singing about trick or treating.
3. Cocomelon- Nursey Rhymes
If you're a parent, you've definitely heard of Cocomelon, it's pretty much a staple in any household that has had a baby. Cocomelon has their own versions of all of the classic kid songs with their own twist. The main character in these videos is a baby named JJ. They also have a ton of original songs that help kids with learning everything from shapes to using the potty. I used those potty video songs when training my daughter, and I think that helped her out. Beware: these songs will get stuck in your head for days, maybe even weeks.
4. Kidz Bop
My smart TV has Vevo music channels preloaded on the tv, so while we were getting ready in the morning I would always put on the pop music channel. Being the music lover she is, my daughter would memorize the songs and recognize them immediately when her favorites came on. I remembered Kidz Bop from when I was young and completely forgot it still existed. Kidz Bop's YouTube channel covers ALL of the songs she loved listening to on Vevo, so of course we listen to this a lot. Kidz Bop isn't terrible to listen to as a parent either because they're all songs I recognize and would listen to normally.
5. PBS Kids
I mentioned this in my other post about PBS Kids shows, but we love all PBS kids videos. When our favorite shows such as Daniel Tiger and Curious George aren't on TV, we turn to the PBS Kids YouTube channel to watch clips and full episodes.
6. DisneyMusicVEVO
We are a Disney family, we all love Disney. Our honeymoon in 2017 was even at Disney so obviously DisneyMusicVevo is on our list. It has music from all Disney movies and tv shows throughout the years. It can be very nostalgic for parents listening to songs they listened to as kids, and fun for kids who are learning the songs from their favorite movies.
7. Disney Junior
Of course if you subscribe to the DisneyMusic channel, you'll want to check our Disney Juniors YouTube channel as well. Disney Junior's channel has music focused more towards the preschool age with Mickey Mouse and friends, young Marvel superheroes such as Spiderman, T.O.T.S., Muppet babies and so much more. You can watch short clips of Disney Junior shows that are funny and entertaining but still educational.
Conclusion
I hope you found some new channels on this list you haven't previously heard or thought about. I think music and educational videos are very valuable for young kids to listen to and watch. I'm always looking to play new things for the kids so it doesn't get too repetitive.