In our house, we use Youtube as a sort of visual encyclopedia and cabinet of curiosities. It’s a great way to
explore your children’s interests and fuel their imagination. My daughter, 6, loves to watch videos of Labradoodles and French Bulldogs, her favorite dogs, while my son, 8, is partial to sports blooper and Rube Goldberg videos (this one is particularly good).
The kids and I use it on holidays to watch the actual events we are celebrating or remembering. It’s thrilling to watch Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” speech with kids who are seeing it for the first time. Around soccer world cup time we watch Pele’s great moves or Ronaldinho defy gravity with a soccer ball. You can also discover brand new things together; Parkour anyone?
A word of caution – Youtube videos are relatively uncensored, as are the comments, so it’s up to you to pick the videos that are appropriate for your child. I don’t let them surf Youtube alone, but find I can easily filter the videos when we watch together.
