Today I’m sharing 16 YouTube channels my 16 year old son loves. Plus a few more we’ve sneaked in here and there. He enjoys watching YouTube for research, for inspiration, and for fun. And his choice of channels reflects that.
With the title, YouTube and Home Ed, you might be surprised at some of the channels we’ve featured. Especially if you have strong opinions on what you consider ‘educational’.
But in over a decade of home education, we’ve found that learning happens all the time, a natural consequence of living. And the best learning comes from having fun. For us, everything is educational, and awesome 🙂 We’re that kind of homeschoolers.
My son is keen to stress, not all of these channels are ‘family-friendly’. He hasn’t watched every video on the channels listed. And I certainly haven’t. Although there are a few we regularly enjoy together.
We don’t agree with all the views expressed on these channels. And you might not either. But that’s okay.
There’s bound to be something to make you laugh, make you think, and even make you cry.
Be warned, some of these channels contain a fair amount of swearing. Check out some other family favourites in this post. Those were chosen by my then 6 year old, but they’re not just for younger viewers and no swearing included.
But back to those YouTube channels my 16 year old loves…
There’s no particular order to these, at least not in terms of preference. But we’ve tried to group like with like-ish. Starting with some science, delving deep into some big issues and gorgeous animation, heading to gaming territory, heaps of history, a little Lego and finishing with some Star Wars, of course 🙂
So let’s get to it…
The Slo-Mo Guys
First up, some science delights. Gavin and Dan have been exploring the world in slow-motion for ten years. Fascinating, hilarious and at times, utterly absurd. My son’s been following these guys for years, avidly sharing their videos with the rest of the family. And we love them.
Definitely warrants a ‘don’t try these at home’ warning but good fun to watch 🙂
For more slo-mo related content, check out Slo-Mo Guys 2 where they share behind the scenes explanations and more.
Tom Scott
Another firm family favourite. Tom explores amazing places, delves deep into the secrets of everyday objects, and reveals fascinating facts about the world around us. Science, history, linguistics, computing and so much more.
Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell
A blend of nature, science, history, and philosophy, explored with ‘optimistic nihilism’. Or as my son says, ‘Be warned, this channel can be pretty depressing’.
Visually charming, bright and cheery. Featuring videos on climate change and the future of life on earth, along with some deep dives into the past and the minutiae of life. Sure to provoke some interesting conversations.
Jaiden Animations
With a different style of animation, yet equally captivating, Jaiden also discusses a wide range of topics, but on a more personal level. Jaiden’s videos are funny, insightful and beautifully crafted. And she’s friends with Boyinaband.
RTGame
RT, aka Daniel, is an Irish YouTuber and Twitch streamer. Seemingly all silliness and swearing, RT also does some interesting Q And A videos where he chats about all kinds of topics. But mostly, yep, there’s a lot of silly…
Arlo
Arlo looks a little like the cookie monster and creates videos about all things Nintendo. Lots of news, reviews and game play. And Zelda 🙂
Shesez
Still with gaming, but not as we know it. Shesez explores out of bounds, revealing aspects of our favourite games we don’t normally get to see. Fascinating insights into how games work and are put together.
PointCrow
Another alternative gaming angle. This time, speed-running, but often with a twist. PointCrow whips through The Legend of Zelda : Breath of the Wild, and sometimes, Pokemon too.
Jackfrags
And more gaming. This time first person shooters, lots of Call of Duty content if that’s your thing. But my son’s here for the Battlefield – the game that sparked an interest in military history.
History Buffs
And talking of history… History buffs is a channel devoted to reviewing historical movies and exploring how closely they reflect actual events, or not 🙂
Mark Felton Productions
Sticking with the history theme, Mark Felton shares lots of original historical footage, much of it related to World War 2 analysing events of the time.
And if you’re into tanks… The Tank Museum is another channel my son loves. If you head over to their website, you can even buy a teddy tank 🙂
Shadiversity
Yep, more history. This time heading back to medieval times. A big fan of castles, swords and science fiction, Shadiversity explores possible correlation and contrast between history and fiction, often with amusing experiments.
Lindybeige
Another history channel. From ancient to modern wars, archaeology, psychology and even a little dance.
JD Brick Productions
More history, but this time in Lego. Lots of Lego stop-motion battles based on real events. Along with some tank and other machine tutorials.
JK Brickworks
And more Lego… Much of it mechanical and motorised. Lots of complicated tech builds, some cute creatures and a workshop my son dreams of 🙂
Star Wars Explained
Alex started his channel as a way to find out more about Star Wars. And he’s found out plenty. Videos on your favourite characters, ships and tech, planets and plotlines. And sometimes he and his wife, Mollie build Lego too. Ticks all the boxes 🙂
And there we are, 16 YouTube channels my 16 year old loves. Let us know which ones you enjoy. And if you have any recommendations for channels we should check out, we’d love to hear them.
Over the years our family have spent many happy hours sharing our favourite YouTubers. Yet, it would have been so easy to disregard many of my children’s choices at first glance without giving them a chance. But think of the snuggles I’d have missed. Not to mention the joy, the knowledge and the conversations we’ve had. Sharing our interests brings us closer together, deepening our connections and growing our bonds. And not only that, we learn so much.
Without Wheezy Waiter (the first YouTuber I ever saw, thanks to my children) we might never have started Poetry Teatime. While Julie Bogart’s work inspired me immensely, it was Wheezy’s videos on Edgar Allan Poe that fired up my children and got us started with a bang.
I’d love to know what YouTubers you’ve discovered thanks to your children, let us know in the comments.
And for more YouTube loveliness, check out these posts…
Cleaning motivation : when it all seems too much…
Decluttering motivation : when it all seems too much…
Step up your fitness level with the best walking workouts on YouTube.