TL;DR: The "Trade School" Subscription List
If you’re tired of the Skibidi Toilet loops and the endless "Ohio" memes, here are the channels that actually move the needle on real-world skills:
- Engineering & Making: Mark Rober and Simone Giertz
- Cooking Basics: Babish Culinary Universe and Joshua Weissman
- Coding & Game Design: Brackeys and Code.org
- Life Skills: Dad, How Do I?
- Art & Drawing: Art for Kids Hub and Jazza
Ask our chatbot for a personalized YouTube curriculum based on your kid's interests
We’ve all been there. You walk past your kid’s tablet and hear that high-pitched, frantic "YouTube Voice"—you know the one. It’s loud, it’s fast, it’s designed by scientists to keep a 9-year-old’s dopamine levels at a steady redline, and it usually contains exactly zero nutritional value. We call it "brain rot" for a reason.
But here’s the thing: YouTube is also the greatest free library of trade skills ever assembled. If your kid wants to learn how to solder a circuit board, bake a sourdough loaf, or code a character in Roblox, the world’s best teachers are right there. The trick is moving them from the "passive consumer" side of the algorithm to the "active creator" side.
Most kids use YouTube as a digital pacifier. They watch other people play Minecraft or open mystery boxes. That’s consumption.
When a kid watches a tutorial to solve a problem—like fixing a bike chain or drawing a 3D perspective—their brain is working differently. They are using the screen as a tool, not a destination. This builds digital agency, which is basically the "boss level" of digital wellness. It’s the difference between being a passenger and being the driver.
If your kid is the type to take apart the TV remote just to see how it works, these channels are the gold standard.
Mark Rober (Ages 8+)
Mark is the undisputed king of "Educational YouTube." He’s a former NASA engineer who builds glitter bombs for porch pirates and giant squirrel obstacle courses. The Skill: He teaches the scientific method and mechanical engineering without it ever feeling like a lecture. He makes "failing forward" look cool, which is a vital life skill.
Simone Giertz (Ages 10+)
Simone is the "Queen of Useless Robots." She builds things like a toothbrush helmet or a vegetable-chopping machine that mostly just makes a mess. The Skill: She’s incredible for teaching kids that engineering is about iteration and humor. It’s great for girls (and boys) to see a woman dominating the maker space with a "let’s just try it" attitude.
Hacksmith Industries (Ages 12+)
They take fictional items—like Captain America’s shield or a real lightsaber—and build functional versions using high-end engineering. The Skill: Physics, metallurgy, and heavy-duty fabrication. It’s definitely for the older crowd who can handle the "don't try this at home" warnings.
If they’re going to spend six hours on Roblox or Fortnite, they might as well learn how the engines under the hood actually work.
Brackeys (Ages 12+)
Even though the creator has officially "retired" from making new videos, the archive is the Bible for learning the Unity game engine. The Skill: Professional-grade game development and C# coding. This is high-level stuff that can actually lead to a career.
Code.org (Ages 6+)
This is the place to start for younger kids. They use familiar characters (like from Minecraft or Star Wars) to teach the logic of coding. The Skill: Computational thinking and logic. It’s the "gateway drug" to actual programming.
Learn more about whether coding games are actually educational
Cooking is one of the few skills that pays dividends every single day of your life.
Babish Culinary Universe (Ages 10+)
Andrew Rea started by recreating foods from movies and TV shows (the "Binging with Babish" series). His "Basics with Babish" series is the real winner for parents. The Skill: Knife skills, heat control, and how to fix a sauce that’s broken. It’s cinematic, funny, and very clear. Note: He occasionally uses mild adult language, so maybe preview if you're sensitive.
Joshua Weissman (Ages 12+)
Joshua is high-energy and a bit "internet-y," but his technical skills are insane. His "But Better" series, where he makes homemade versions of fast food, is a huge hit with teens. The Skill: Fermentation, bread baking (the sourdough king), and the "why" behind cooking techniques.
Sometimes kids just need to know how to do the stuff we forget to teach them.
Dad, How Do I? (All Ages)
Rob Kenney started this channel to provide "dadvice" for people who didn't have a father figure to teach them basic tasks. The Skill: How to change a tire, how to clog a toilet, how to iron a shirt, and how to check your oil. It’s wholesome, practical, and exactly what the internet was made for.
Even the best educational channels live on a platform designed to distract. You send your kid to watch a Mark Rober video on fluid dynamics, and three clicks later they’re watching a "MrBeast Buried Alive" challenge.
How to handle it:
- Use Playlists: Instead of letting them browse, help them create a "Skills" playlist.
- Turn off Autoplay: This is the #1 way to stop the "brain rot" slide.
- The "Second Screen" Rule: Encourage them to watch the tutorial on a laptop or TV while they actually do the thing (cook, draw, build) in real life. If their hands are busy, they can’t scroll.
YouTube’s goal is "Time on Site." Educational content often has a natural end point—you finish the project and you leave. The algorithm prefers content that never ends.
You have to be the curator. If you find a channel like Art for Kids Hub, which is arguably the best "how to draw" resource for elementary kids on the planet, subscribe to it. By subscribing and liking, you’re training the algorithm to show your kid more of the "good stuff" and less of the "brain rot."
YouTube doesn't have to be a digital wasteland. It can be a trade school, an art studio, or a coding bootcamp—all for the price of a few unskippable ads.
The transition from "Brain Rot" to "Real Skills" happens the moment you ask your kid: "That looks cool, do you think we could actually make that?"
Once they realize they can use the internet to change their physical world, the screen loses its hypnotic power and becomes what it was always meant to be: a tool.
- Audit the Subscriptions: Sit down with your kid and look at who they follow. For every "entertainment" channel, try to find one "skill" channel.
- Pick a Project: This weekend, pick one video from Babish or Dad, How Do I? and do it together.
- Check the WISE Scores: Use Screenwise to see how other parents in your community rate these channels for safety and educational value.
Ask our chatbot for more alternatives to popular "brain rot" channels