The Best Educational Streaming Services for Kids and Adults
There’s not a lot of content on YouTube or Netflix these days that could be considered educational, but luckily, plenty of other streaming services are helping to fill that gap. You can search for black holes in space, learn how to create cinematic masterpieces with an Oscar-winning director, or find a TV show that won’t warp your preschooler’s mind, all with the click of a remote control.
We’ve rounded up some of the best educational streaming services for kids and families, many of which are free or an affordable addition to your budget.
NASA+
The government-funded space agency recently launched an ad-free streaming app , featuring live broadcasts, mission updates, documentary series, animated programming and behind-the-scenes videos about launches and exploration.
Cost: Free
Canopy
If you have a library card from a participating institution, you can access a wealth of ad-free educational content for free on Kanopy , including The Great Courses and animated shorts based on children’s books, including the works of Mo Willems. There is a limit to the amount of adult content you can stream each month, but viewers have unlimited access to the children’s selection.
Cost: Free with a library card.
PBS Kids
If your kids are ready for “Elmo,” they can watch episodes of “Sesame Street” on this free app, as well as other educational shows like “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” “The Wild Kratts ,” and “The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That ” . There’s not a complete archive of PBS kids’ shows here, but there’s enough to get you through a Saturday morning, with some shows adding new episodes weekly.
Cost: Free
Master Class
Have you ever wanted to learn filmmaking from Martin Scorsese or architecture from Frank Gehry? MasterClass gives you insight into the creative processes of some of today’s greatest minds through over 180 pre-recorded, award-winning videos spread across 11 categories.
Cost: Plans start at $10.
Disney+
We recommend this service not because of the Disney Junior content ( “Bluey” is educational, right?) but because of the wealth of content from National Geographic, including documentaries like Free Solo , as well as historical dramas. such as Little Light , which tells the story of Miep Gies, who helped hide Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis during World War II.
Cost: Plans start at $7.99 per month.
Discovery+
What if there was a place where all your favorite cooking and home improvement shows sat next to news documentaries and your favorite Shark Week programs? You can stream all this content on the Discovery+ app, which includes shows from Animal Planet, TLC, Food Network, Discovery Channel and CNN. And if you want to watch some Discovery Investigation or 90 Day Fiancé docs, you can do that too.
Cost: Plans start at $4.99 per month.
Sensual
Have you ever used Common Sense Media to decide which movies and TV shows are appropriate for your kids? If so, you’ll likely love their Sensical streaming app. The service claims to have more than 15,000 videos on a variety of educational topics, targeting three age categories: preschoolers (2-4 years old), little kids (5-7 years old) and big kids (8-10 years old). The only downside to this free service is that its programming is supported by advertising, but Common Sense Media has verified the sponsors.
Cost: Free
Amazon Kids+
If you’re happy with Jeff Bezos helping your kids navigate cyberspace, Amazon Kids+ offers educational content tailored to their age group. The service includes access to books, programs, music and other content from children’s brands (including Lego and PBS) without ads or in-app purchases.
Cost: $4.99 per month for Prime members and $7.99 per month for non-Prime members. Every Amazon Kids device comes with a one-year subscription to the service.
Nebula
There is a lot of great educational content on YouTube. But for every great video breaking down concepts related to engineering, physics, or current events, there’s someone torturing hamsters. Nebula weeds out the weird stuff to provide subscribers with quality, ad-free videos they can download to their devices, along with original content and podcasts (but keep in mind that much of this content is already free on YouTube).
Cost: Plans start at $5 per month.
Curious flow
Founded by John Hendricks, former chairman of Discovery Communications, the streaming service boasts original non-fiction content featuring the likes of Stephen Hawking and David Attenborough, as well as series produced by the BBC with an understanding of a variety of topics, all in HD and 4K.
Cost: Plans start at $4.99 per month. There are also bundling options with other services including Nebula, One Day University, Topic, Tastemade, Da Vinci and Somm TV.
skills exchange
The best way to describe Skillshare is that it is very similar to MasterClass, but is more hands-on and includes more practical topics including design, photography, illustration, and video. Your teachers, who include graphic designer Aaron Draplin and YouTuber Marques Brownlee, may not be household names, but that doesn’t make them any less qualified to teach.
Cost: 30-day free trial with annual membership starting at $159.
Noggin
Given the characters from Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig on its website, you might mistake Noggin for a Nick Jr. streaming service. You’re right: the network’s characters are the main attraction. However, ad-free content aimed at children ages 2 to 6 includes educational videos and books that teach math, reading, and strong feelings.
Cost: Start with a free trial. Subscriptions start at $7.99 per month.
MagellanTV
Documentary fans will find thousands of shows and films about everything from nature to true crime. There are a few well-known games and no original offerings, but the service adds new content weekly.
Cost: Monthly subscriptions start at $4.99 per month.
History Vault
Not to be confused with the History Channel app. This separate paid streaming service contains content from the pre-American Pickers days , including Ancient Aliens , Universe , and America: The Story of Us . And yes, you can stream entire seasons of Ice Road Truckers .
Cost: Plans start at $4.99 per month.