 Let me start off by saying that I'm well aware that many parents do not want to give their children any screen time whatsoever. I have zero problem with that and for a time, we didn't allow screen time either. In the end, I think we all have to do what we feel is best for our little ones so if you don't believe in screen time or want to avoid it at all costs, I totally understand. If you are okay with screen time for your kiddos, but find yourself hating YouTube Kids as I once did, you might change your mind after reading this post. Why Does Managing My Child's Content on YouTube Kids Seem Incredibly and Unnecessarily Difficult? I was constantly asking myself this question. It seemed like no matter what I did, shows I did not want my toddler watching kept magically appearing in his watch queue. I'd delete them, and they'd come back with a vengeance. Thankfully, I saw an Instagram video of a parent giving simple instructions for how to solve this issue and it was life changing. I learned that my first mistake was selecting "Preschool Age" for the content settings instead of "Approve content yourself". Here's the solution to that problem: 1. Open YouTube Kids 2. Go to Settings 3. Scroll down to "My kids" and select the specific child's profile you want to manage 4. Enter your password 5. Under "Approved content only", select "Edit Settings" 6. Select "Approve content yourself" An option to select various "Collections" will appear. This is where I went wrong again! Unless you are 100% sure you want ALL of the content that comes along with those Collections suggestions, your child will probably still have videos appear in their queue that you don't want. If you want to know exactly what your child will be watching, you'll need to use the search feature at the top and type in the name of the channels or specific videos you want to approve. When you click on them and the green checkmark appears, that means it's approved. The Cool Part About This Feature If there's a channel that I'm okay with, but I don't like a specific episode, I can do the following: 1. Approve the channel 2. Do a search for that specific episode title that I don't like 3. Click on the green check mark for that episode I don't approve of 4. Click "Block Video" If you're unsure about what's included in the Collections suggestions, click on the image of the collection (not the plus sign at the top corner). This will take you to the various channels associated with that Collection. Click the channels and preview the content to see if you're comfortable approving the entire channel, just adding a few individual videos or if you'd just prefer to opt out of that selection altogether. This might sound very time-consuming, but after spending a good 45 minutes searching for the shows and videos I want him to see, I can say it was totally worth it. Now, when I learn about a good channel or video that I hadn't previously approved, it takes less than a minute to add it to the approved content. He's literally only watching what I want him to see. Sigh of relief. Below you'll find 12 outstanding entertaining and educational channels I've added to his approved content list. Please note that the links go directly to the regular YouTube, but you can search for these titles on YouTube Kids. 1. Coilbook | Learning for Children - Various vehicles teaching viewers about numbers, letters, colors, shapes and more. There are also some really entertaining episodes that involve high speed chases, ambulance and fire rescues. Great graphics and overall just a really cool channel. 2. Vooks - One of my favorite channels for him right now is this digital library of children’s storybooks, brought to life with gentle animation, engaging narration, music, sound effects, and read-along text. It’s an educational and safe screen time option that I’ve been recommending to every parent I know because it fosters a love of reading in kids 3. Brain Candy TV - My son loves vehicles so we found another channel that features monster trucks, cars, trains, etc. while educating him about color mixing, the alphabet, shapes, counting and more. I'm pretty sure he learned how to read all of his colors from this show specifically. During one of our homeschool lessons, I was planning to introduce those words for the day and much to my surprise he knew all of them already lol. 4. Blaze and the Monster Machines - I actually really love this STEM show that does a really good job of teaching young viewers about science, technology, engineering and math. My son's vocabulary is pretty impressive because of this show. He understands and regularly uses words like "force", "transform", and "energy" to name a few. I also like that this show features a few interactive segments that ask viewers to repeat words and poses questions while giving kids ample time to think and answer. 5. Numberblocks - I'm always amazed when other parents tell me they've never heard of Numberblocks. This show is the best! It does an incredible job of teaching young learners about the over concept of numbers and math practices. I recommend starting with Season 1, Episodes 1 through 5 in order and maybe repeat them a few times to really try to lock in the concept for your child before moving through the show too quickly. Each episode is only 5 mintues, but they are jam packed with memorable lessons. I've actually learned a lot from the Numberblocks after seeing all 6 Seasons. 6. Alphablocks - The same creators of Numberblocks, but this show is all about the alphabet, phonics, word blends, spelling and reading. There is a ton of content on this channel so it's a good idea to search around to see which videos you may want to start with especially if your child is just getting started with phonics. 7. Colourblocks - You guessed it. These are the same creators behind Numberblocks and Alphablocks so it's no surprise that they do a fantastic job teaching little ones about tons of different colors and color mixing. 8. Tab Time - I love this show so much for so many reasons. I'm just going to copy and paste the description provided on her channel because it's accurate. "TAB TIME is an Emmy and NAACP Image Awards winning series for kids. It is geared towards preschoolers ages 3 to 5 and their parents. It stars Tabitha Brown, also known as “America’s mom,” who has become one of the most visible social media personalities today. Tabitha or “Ms. Tab” as the kids call her, taps into her natural capabilities as a cook, storyteller, mom, and motivational leader, to teach children how to live their best life. Through the lenses of kindness and confidence, TAB TIME will explore themes such as family, helping others, music, how things grow, and mistakes. Ms. Tab won’t shy away from the tough stuff while always keeping topics dynamic and fun!" 9. Numberjacks - My son loves this show. It's about these superhero numbers that jump into real world situations to solve problems when things go wrong. I like that this show incorporates thinking skills, problem-solving, and lots of math, making it a fun way for kids to learn while being entertained. 10. Akili and Me - This is a cute little show about a little African girl and her animal friends that go on adventures earning and helping the letters of the alphabet and numbers. Most of the episodes include super catchy and upbeat songs that make learning the information more fun and easy to remember. When Akili is on, I'm signing and dancing along with or without my son lol. 11. Scratch Garden - There is a lot happening on this channel to say the least. This channel is not fully approved by me because there are so many different topics and songs that I'm not familiar with, but I have approved several videos that I previewed myself and thought were of good educational quality. 12. PBS KIDS - This might seem like a popular selection, but these days far more toddlers are watching Nick Jr. and Disney Jr. on YouTube Kids. Don't get me wrong, my son watches a few of the shows on those channels too, but neither network is 100% approved for his app. In my opinion, PBS KIDS is the better selection among the 3 networks and has a lot more quality educational content. Some of his favorite shows include Odd Squad, Lyla in the Loop, Super Why Comic Book Adventures and Sesame Street. When searching for educational or entertaining content that will be appropriate for your own children, I recommend really thinking about what it is you want them to learn or experience. Once you have some ideas in mind, use that search feature on the app that I mentioned above and take the time to watch some of the videos before adding them based on the cover and title description alone. Here are some of the topics I searched for:
 What are some of your toddlers favorite shows? What do you search for when adding content to YouTube Kids? What do you think about the show featured on this list? Your feedback is always appreciated. Please share your comments below. 
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