24 YouTube Videos That Will Change How Your Child Sees The World

Inside: The best YouTube videos for kids teach important life lessons without being preachy. Forget Peppa Pig and load up these instead.

When it comes to videos for kids, YouTube is full of junk – some of them more disturbing than others. To wade through it all, my personal guideline for what I’ll let my kids watch is this:

Would I sit down and watch this alongside my child?

If the idea of sitting down together to watch a particular video, TV show, or movie makes me want to grab the nearest LEGO and gouge out my eyes, then that show is a big no in my book.

My reasoning is mostly selfish because:

• I know I’ll end up hearing the show in the background anyway.
• My child will pick up certain lines and repeat them over and over and over.
• Kids love to take 45 minutes to give you a play-by-play of the 20-minute episode they just watched.

Then there’s the whole “filling their heads with junk” side of things that I’d like to avoid as much as possible.

Videos for Kids Don’t Have to Be Cringe-Worthy

When I come across a video for my kids that’s a diamond in the rough – one that makes them think, opens their eyes about the world, or shares a meaningful life lesson without being annoyingly preachy – I will happily watch it with them.

And then I add that video to a special list I’ve been curating for eight years.

I first started keeping this list when my oldest was five and I would come across a video I wanted to watch with her. Her younger sister Bailey was just a baby at the time, and I wanted to remember the best videos to share with Bailey when she was old enough.

Not only are these short videos for kids high quality and enjoyable to watch for both kids and parents (no Caillou here!), the conversations we have as a family after watching them are PURE GOLD.

It’s like you can literally see the little gears turning in their heads as they think about the world in a different way.

You won’t even mind watching these videos multiple times because they’re that good. They’re all relatively short, too.

24 Best YouTube Videos for Kids With Powerful Life Lessons

Watching the best YouTube videos for kids on this list will teach your child how to be a kind and thoughtful friend. Your child will get proven tricks for how to handle their big, scary emotions. They’ll learn important life lessons like why we should accept others even if they’re different – and more.

The next time your little one begs to watch videos on YouTube, forget the creepy knockoff Peppa Pig videos and load up one of these way more interesting videos for kids instead. (Before you go, don’t forget to pin or bookmark this list and come back to it from time to time because I’ll update it every time I add a new life-changing video.)

But First, a Warning…

Before you set your child up to watch one of these videos, you might want to watch the short video yourself first to make sure it’s the right fit for your family. While I’m 100 percent comfortable with sharing these videos with my children and I have many friends and neighbors who have done so as well, every family is different so your mileage may vary.

Boost Your Kid’s Emotional Intelligence

1. The Power of a Breath

This short film helps kids learn how to deal with their emotions. After several kids share how their emotions affect them and how they physically feel in those moments, they talk about what helps them to feel better.

2. How Mindfulness Empowers Us

Your child might have heard of mindfulness before, but they might not fully understand what it means. In this short animated story of two wolves fighting in our hearts, an expert explains how mindfulness allows us to see our thoughts and feelings as they are beginning, not after we’re feeling overwhelmed.

3. The Difference Between Empathy And Sympathy

In this short video, Dr. Brené Brown explains empathy with a powerful metaphor, plus how to practice true empathy. Beware that the video gives two brief examples of struggles that people might be dealing with – miscarriage and a failing marriage – so if that’s the first your child has heard of those situations, you may want to talk about that after the video.

For a practical trick to boost your child’s empathy, I put together this guide for parents: Empathy Is Tough to Teach, But Here’s One Trick That Will Boost It. You can also read these books with your child to nurture their empathy: 50+ Children’s Books About Empathy to Help You Raise Kind Kids.

Related: Empathy Is Tough to Teach, But Here’s One Trick That Will Boost It

Teach Your Child About Their Body

1. Consent for Young Kids and Tweens

Conversations about consent can’t wait until the teenage years. This video for kids gives an age-appropriate introduction to the idea of consent, and it’s perfect for preschoolers and grade-school-aged kids.

Related: 5 Important Steps That Will Help Protect Your Child From Sexual Abuse

2. An Important Message About Body Image

Here, professional volleyball player Gabby Reece talks to her 12-year-old daughter about weight and how to have a healthy relationship with the scale.

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Encourage a Growth Mindset

For a practical but powerful trick for encouraging a growth mindset in your kid, check out 9 Best Growth Mindset Posters That Will Inspire Your Kid to Keep Trying.

1. How to Redefine Failure

In this quick video, a successful CEO talks about how her father helped reframe the definition of failure when she was growing up and how that contributes to her success in life.

2. Winning Isn’t Everything

If your child is involved in sports, they need to watch this talk from a college basketball coach.

Related: 9 Best Growth Mindset Posters That Will Inspire Your Kid to Keep Trying

Teach Your Child to Accept Others – Even When They’re Different

1. Us versus Them

In today’s world, the “us versus them” narrative is pervasive. In focusing on what divides us, we can lose sight of what we have in common. This Danish ad challenges that narrative with a simple demonstration.

2. How to Put Yourself in Someone Else’s Shoes

This is a quick (and funny!) video to teach your child how to see a situation from another person’s perspective, especially when that other person may have a disability or mental health condition. If your family uses a broad definition of curse words, beware that the transcript includes “crap” and “what the heck.”

After the video, here are a couple conversation starters you can use:

• What’s something that’s easy for you to do but might not come easy to someone else?
• What’s something you struggle with, but other people in your life might not realize you do?

3. When Someone Acts Different

This video for kids starts out by talking about how we all have differences, including in how our brains work. Then it introduces what autism is and what that means.

4. When Someone Looks Different

In this social experiment, Unicef had a young girl dress like a homeless child to see how people on the street would treat her. Then after she changes into “nice” clothes, we see the difference in how she’s treated.

Related: A Simple Trick to Limit Screen Time – And Get a Happier Kid, Too {Printable}

Raise Your Kid to Be Kind, Thoughtful, And Giving

After you wrap up here, head over to The Secret to Raising Your Kids to Be Kind to get my free printable that will help you raise kind kids.

1. Choosing Kindness

This is just one minute long, but it chokes me up every time. Such a powerful example of choosing kindness to share with your child!

2. Being an Includer

If you’ve never heard of a Buddy Bench before, this is a must-watch. And if your child’s school doesn’t have a Buddy Bench yet, it doesn’t hurt to reach out to the school’s office and suggest it!

3. Things We Should Say More Often

This is just one of many gems from Kid President.

Related: The Secret to Raising Your Kids to Be Kind {Printable}

Tackle Gender Stereotypes

1. Redrawing the Balance

In this short video, children were asked to draw a firefighter, surgeon, and a fighter pilot. The pictures they drew were eye-opening.

2. Picking Your Career

This animated video explores how gender stereotypes often get in the way of a child pursuing their passion as a career one day.

3. Women Give Advice To Their Future Daughters

This round-up of advice from women to their future daughters is perfect for mothers to watch with their own daughters.

Inspire Your Kid to Make the Most of Life

1. The Time You Have

2. The Magic of Going Outside

3. Your Biggest Regret

4. What Society Does to Your Creativity

To read more about this short film, check out How Society Kills Your Creativity – In An Award Winning Pixar-Esque Short Film.

5. What the Holiday Season Is Really About

Videos for Tweens and Teens

1. Consent and Tea

This short animation explains consent using a simple metaphor: tea. This went viral when it was first released because it communicates the concept of consent so perfectly. Beware that two versions of this video exist, and the one I’ve included below is the “clean” version without curse words.

2. Like a Girl

If you’ve noticed your tween or teen girl losing confidence as she gets older, this is the perfect video to watch together. But don’t assume this is just for girls – this is also a message every tween or teen boy needs to hear.

Want More?

If your child is a tween or teen, you may also enjoy this playlist of TED Talks to watch with your older child.

Your Turn

What are the best YouTube videos for kids (and parents) you’ve come across? Share in a comment below!