Are you looking for an educational show for your kids during the summer? Check out these Educational Shows for Kids on Netflix and Disney+

I think it is fair to say that this pandemic has impacted our lives in so many ways. We dress, behave and think differently than we did in 2019. The most significant change for me, however, is hands down homeschooling my children again.

I briefly considered having Ty and Jayda head back at school with their peers, but I thought it was best to stick to homeschooling where we could work at their own pace without having to worry about so many Zoom classes. Still, there were many moments where I would doubt the education I was providing my kids was not up to scratch, especially with the added distraction of having Lee Lee around while teaching.

My family has never shied away from movies, so it’s no surprise I wanted to extend those sessions at the end of the school day with educational shows. Setting up playlists on Netflix or other streaming services you use is and great way for your kids to watch content pre-approved by you whenever they want. Even when the school day is done and books are closed, my kids still love playing these movies and documentaries repeatedly!

How to Set up a Homeschool Streaming Profile

Set a new profile on your Netflix or Disney+ account. You can call it “Educational” “School” “Learning” or whatever you want. At our house the profile is called “Homeschool”. They know when it’s free time and they want to watch TV that it only includes things on the watchlist on that profile.

The reason I like to make its own designated profile is because we’ll get more suggested programing that matches the educational vibe we’re going for. It’s easy to discover a lot of new shows this way by looking at suggestions for “more like this” underneath one you like. And we’re less distracted by those other movies they like to watch on weekends.

Once the profile is set up I go wild adding educational shows to the watchlists. Need some ideas? Here are educational shows for kids on Netflix and Disney+.

26 Educational Shows for Kids on Netflix

This is not an all inclusive list. But some of the educational kids shows and documentaries on our homeschool watchlist. Let us know if we missed your favorite.

1) The Magic School Bus and The Magic School Bus Rides Again

Ms. Frizzle’s adventures with her class on The Magic School Bus are timeless! I loved this show as a kid, and now it is surreal seeing my own children enjoy it as well.

There have been a few spinoffs in this franchise since its conception, so it’s challenging to keep up at times. However, Netflix lets you stream the show, so be sure to take your family on adventures to outer space, under the sea, and even through a human body with just a click of a button.

2) Emily’s Wonderlab

One of Jayda’s favorites! Science-loving host Emily Calandrelli makes STEAM fun with activities, demonstrations and at-home experiments that’ll blow your mind.

3) If I Were An Animal

Emma and her big brother Tim observe different animals as they make their way through various life milestones, from birth to adulthood.

4) Growing Up Wild

Five Baby animals from different parts of the world grow up learning to survive in the wild, nurtured by the love and guidance of their families.

5) The Who Was? Show

This is the jackpot question The Who Was? Show strives to answer for young children around the world! It is an entertaining and hilarious sketch comedy show on Netflix that is guaranteed to leave you with more knowledge than you had before watching it!

6) The Universe Ancient Mysteries Solved

From astronomical event to shapes and patterns in space, strange and wonderful phenomena are explored with modern science in the series.

7) My Octopus Teacher

A filmmaker makes an unusual friendship with an octupus living in a South African kelp forest, learning as the animal shares the mysteries of the world.

8) Dancing with the Birds

From ruffling their majestic feathers to nailing amazing courtship routines, birds in paradise flaunt their best moves in hopes for landing a mate.

9) Dream Big: Engineering Our World

A compelling documentary that examines some inspiring achievements of engineering from across the globe.

11) Brainchild

An educational children’s television show produced by Pharrell Williams? Sign me up!

Brainchild is a Netflix show covering scientific experiments on all kinds of stuff, from dreams to superheroes to emotions and more!

It is a super informative show with wit and intelligence, and I love that the cast respects its young audience by talking to them as equals rather than the weird condescending tone that some shows have.

10) Operation Ouch

An entertaining approach to educate children about medicine and biology through experiments and hospital visits.

12) Kevin Hart’s Guide to Black History

Kevin Hart highlights the fascinating contributions of Black history’s unsung heroes in an entertaining and educational comedy special.

13) Bill Nye: Science Guy

The same guy we grow up loving when we were kids is back in this dynamic shows that tackles climate-change and the importance of scientific evidence.

14) Our Planet

This show is nothing short of a visual masterpiece, in my opinion!

Our Planet is a British nature documentary series on Netflix that my kids have watched more than three times! It addresses serious topics such as conservation and the impact of climate change but is also understandable and exciting for people of all ages!

15) Mission Blue

A documentary following an oceanographer on a campaign to save the world’s oceans from threats such as overfishing and toxic waste.

16) Veggietales In The House

Playful stories for little with valuable life lessons and Christian themes.

17) Ask the Storybots and Storybots Super Songs

Have your kids ever asked you the tough questions like why they have to brush their teeth? Or where do candy bars come from? If the answer is “Yes” and you’re not sure about the accurate answer to give them, then Ask the Storybots in the show for you!

It is about curious little creatures who live inside our screens and computers. They go on fun adventures that aid in answering serious and life-altering questions like the ones I mentioned above. Your little ones will love it!

18) A Life on Our Plant

David Attenborough recounts his life and the evolutionary history of life on Earth. Through it we grieve the loss of wild places and get a vision for the future.

19) Tiny Creatures

Little animals embark on big adventures across the US in a dramatic nature series that explores their hidden worlds and epic survival stories.

20) Night on Earth

This nature series’ new technology lifts night’s veil to reveal the hidden lives of the world’s creatures, from lions on the hunt to bats on the wing.

21) 72 Cutest Animals

A series that examines the nature of cuteness and how adorability helps some animal species to survive and thrive in a variety of environments.

22) Everyday Miracles

Materials scientist Mark Miodownik takes us into the world of everyday objects that make our lives more comfortable than those of our ancestors.

23) Absurd! Planet

A funny science series that peeks into the lives of Earth’s most incredible animals.

24) Number Blocks

In a place called Numberland, math adds up to tons of fun. Not just for the tiny little kids. The unit blocks teach more than just addition and subtraction.

25) Word Party

Adorable baby animals take you on an adventure and want you and your little ones to join the party and help them learn.

26) Gabby’s Dollhouse

If you’re looking for something for younger children like Lee Lee, then Gabby’s Dollhouse is my go-to favorite!

It follows Gabby, who can shrink down to explore her dollhouse and hang out with her adorable cat friends who live in it. 

It has a brilliant color scheme that will keep your toddlers intrigued for hours while teaching them about many topics throughout the show, such as food, kindness, and friendship. 

21 Educational Shows for Kids on Disney Plus

You’ll notice a lot of animal options on this list because Ty is a big animal-lover. But we try to sprinkle in some history and math stuff too.

1) DisneyNature Documentaries

After his experience on Bambi, Walt Disney was the one to invent the format of the modern nature films we know and love today! Thus, it makes sense that Disney+’s range of nature documentaries is diverse and well-produced. 

From 1955’s The African Lion to more recent productions such as 2018’s Dolphin Reef, Disney+ has great nature documentaries to teach your children vital information while letting them have some fun at the same time. Grouping these together we have: Bears, Monkey Kingdom, Chimpanzee, Oceans, Penguins, African Cats, The Crimson Wing, Born in China, Wings of Life, Elephant, and the previously mentioned Dolphin Reef.

2) Brain Games

A favorite in our house. This Emmy-nominated series is designed to mess with the ultimate supercomputer. Host Jason Silva reveals how brains process information related to topics like stress, addiction, competition, food, trust and language. 

3) True-Life Adventures

There are multiple versions of this documentary series from the 1950s: African Lion, Living Desert, and Jungle Cat.

4) Weird but True

A series that explores the science between the planet and its wildlife. A different topic is explored in each episode by ecologist Charlie and artist Kirby. The siblings look to inspire young people to question the “how” and “why” behind the way the world works.

5) Marvel Hero Project

In life, it doesn’t take wearing a suit of iron, carrying a mythical hammer or swinging from spider webs to be a real hero. Sometimes the person who can make a positive difference in the world is the person who simply sees a problem and has the passion to find a creative solution.

6) Schoolhouse Rock!

Remember this 70s throwback with the catchy songs from when we were in school? Well it’s found a new home on Disney Plus.

7) Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

One of my personal favorites. I actually stayed up late consuming the space science facts presented by the brilliant Neil deGrasse Tyson. Nothing to make you feel so small like comparing our little world to the mass universe.

8) Man Among Cheetahs

A wildlife filmmaker sets our to follow a cheetah mother who is determined to keep her cus alive. Along the way, he has to negotiate the risks and realities of filming in the African wilderness.

9) UFO Europe The Untold Stories

A look at collections of UFO “Unidentified Flying Objects” reports and stories from across the entire European continent.

10) Hostile Planet

A docuseries that draws attention to extraordinary accounts of animals that have adapted to the cruelest evolutionary curveballs. It zooms in on the world’s most extreme environments to reveal the animal kingdom’s epic stories of survival on this fast-chancing and evolving planet.

11) Lost Treasures of Maya

The ancient Maya built many of their sacred sites to watch the sky, but new research suggests these places were also linked to underground cave systems. If you like this series you may also enjoy Lost Treasures of Egypt.

12) The World According to Jeff Goldblum

Each episode is centered around something people all love — like sneakers or ice cream — as Jeff pulls the thread on these deceptively familiar objects and unravels a wonderful world of astonishing connections that are both surprising and exciting.

13) Animal Showdown

Animals face off to see who is the biggest and the baddest in the animal kingdom.

14) Aliens of the Deep

The Earth’s surface are known to be the home of strange and unusual sea creatures, unlike anything found anywhere else on Earth. While exploring these rarely seen environments, scientists discuss the similarities between these ecosystems and the environments that may be found on alien planets.

15) Awesome Animals

A National Geographic Kids series for little ones presenting fascinating information about a variety of animal species.

16) One Strange Rock

A series hosted by Will Smith that reveals the magical twists of fate that have allowed life to thrive only on Earth. The stories are brought into perspective by the only people to have left this strange rock behind — Astronauts.

17) Shop Class

A competition series featuring teams of young builders who are tasked with designing, building, and testing unique creations.

18) Secrets of the Zoo

Nat Geo WILD takes viewers behind he scenes to meet the animals and army of people who work 24/7 at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

19) Expedition Mars

A look at the epic adventures of the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity.

20) Science Fair

Nine high school students from around the globe navigate rivalries, setbacks and hormones on their quest to compete at the prestigious International Science and Engineering Fair.

21) First Class Chefs

A cooking competition for the whole family! Each week teams of two family members fo head to hear to create a delicious and healthy dish.

With these streaming services and shows, homeschooling doesn’t have to be boring! There are fun ways to teach children vital information, and there is no shame in looking to others for this content. 

What are your favorite educational shows for your kids?

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