Mandarin YouTube Shows Like Ms Rachel and Blippi
If you’re raising bilingual children, the best Chinese YouTube shows can help kids have fun learning Mandarin! The good news is that YouTube has live-action shows and channels with real people in Chinese, similar to Ms Rachel and Bliippi. These include Mandarin songs, storytelling, STEM, cooking, and videos with interesting conversations.
As a pediatrician and mom, I believe children benefit from seeing actual people speaking fluent Chinese. I hope your children enjoy these fun Mandarin Chinese shows and channels on YouTube! If the pace of any show is too fast, see my tip on slowing the playback speed at the end of the article.
YouTube Menu: Toddler Songs Like Ms. Rachel | Daily Activities | Mandarin Story Time | STEM | Cooking | FAQ | More Chinese Cartoons & Live-Action Shows
Mandarin Chinese YouTube shows like Ms. Rachel
Parents always ask me about a Mandarin Chinese YouTube channel like Ms. Rachel’s videos for toddlers and preschoolers. Thankfully, there are a few to choose from!
宝贝中文 Baobei Chinese
宝贝中文 Baobei Chinese Sing and Learn Mandarin is gently paced like Ms. Rachel’s YouTube channel. What’s better is that each video is shorter (10 to 30 minutes), and her voice is more mellow. Closed-captioning is available in English, but most videos lack subtitles in Chinese. Watch 宝贝中文 in Chinese on YouTube.
悦儿姐姐 Yueer Jiejie
This Mandarin YouTube channel is the most similar to Ms. Rachel’s Songs for Littles. She speaks very slowly, deliberately over-enunciates, and uses hand gestures to help toddlers learn new words. Only some subtitles are provided in simplified Chinese. Watch 悦儿姐姐 in Chinese on YouTube.
米宝星 Mibao Star
米宝星 Mibao Star is a channel devoted to cute Mandarin songs for toddlers and young kids. Although she lip-syncs the Chinese songs, the dancing and hand motions are fun for kids to learn. Subtitles are in simplified Chinese and Pinyin with closed-captioning available in English. Most videos are 3 minutes long. Watch in Chinese on YouTube.
Learn Mandarin Chinese 中文 with AliMiMi
AliMiMi is similar to Miss Rachel’s YouTube singing channel for toddlers. Though the audio is a bit grating, many kids enjoy her approach to teaching Mandarin. Subtitles are in simplified Chinese, English, and sometimes Pinyin. Most videos are 5 minutes long. Watch AliMiMi in Chinese on YouTube.
Chinese YouTube videos about daily activities
These Mandarin Chinese YouTube channels feature relatable activities in a typical daily routine for kids. They are slower-paced than animated cartoons, so kids can follow along and learn new Chinese words.
Mama Laoshi 媽媽老師
A Taiwanese American mom and her cute daughter, Winter 同學, invite us to their home to play in the snow, make crafts, and try cool experiments. Her Chinese YouTube show is fun, authentic, and engaging for preschool and elementary kids. Watch 媽媽老師 on YouTube.
Bay Sky Montessori
Educator Grace Yang teaches toddlers practical life skills through these calm, naturally-paced Montessori videos. Her patient lessons are great for kids and parents learning Chinese. Watch the Mandarin Montessori teacher on YouTube.
We’re Growing Up 我们长大了
If you’re a fan of the Japanese Netflix show Old Enough, you’ll enjoy this, too! Children go on errands alone (yes, without parents!) while spectators consider whether or not the kids will succeed. Watch 我们长大了 on YouTube.
Blippi 比利皮 Chinese YouTube Show
The incredibly popular Blippi has a YouTube channel dubbed in Mandarin Chinese. Follow Blippi on adventures in science, nature, museums, playgrounds, farms, and more. Watch the Blippi show in Chinese on YouTube.
小行星樂樂TV
At first glance, this might seem like a Chinese cartoon, but the cute mouse visits real places and people. Subtitles are in traditional Chinese, and a few keywords have Zhuyin. If you don’t mind a mix of animation with live action, it’s an educational show to learn Mandarin and traditional Chinese. Watch on YouTube.
Safe Kids 安全小寶貝
Want your kids to learn how to make safe choices? 安全小寶貝 Safe Kids is a family-friendly Taiwanese Mandarin YouTube show that teaches safety tips to kids in various situations. Subtitles are in traditional Chinese. Watch this Chinese children’s show on YouTube.
A Little Chinese 小不點中文
Get ready to build your Chinese vocabulary! This educational kids’ channel has live-action videos and animation to teach common concepts like animals, body parts, food, and more. Each show has simplified/traditional Chinese, Pinyin, and English subtitles. Watch on YouTube.
Mandarin Chinese story time for kids on YouTube
These wonderful Chinese storytime videos are hosted by engaging narrators.
Seattle Public Library Story Time
Thanks to Seattle Public Library, children can enjoy virtual story time in Mandarin Chinese! Listen to stories about friends, hide-and-seek, bikes, rockets, and more. The playlist has over 30 stories in Mandarin Chinese. Watch on YouTube.
Art Tells Stories 藝起說故事
During the pandemic, an educational foundation in Taiwan produced these wonderful storytime videos with actors, singers, and other celebrities. Enjoy these lovely children’s stories in Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese on YouTube.
Mandarin Chinese science and math videos
These are the best Chinese YouTube channels for kids interested in STEM.
Khan Academy Mandarin
This wonderful non-profit program offers educational Chinese math videos for kids in grades 1 through 5. The videos use simplified Chinese characters. Watch this channel on YouTube.
WOW 小主播看天下
Get ready to learn amazing things about the world! This Chinese news show was created for children to understand and discuss global events. Watch this channel on YouTube.
More STEM for Kids: 20 Amazing Chinese Animal Documentaries
Mandarin Chinese cooking videos on YouTube
These cooking shows on YouTube feature yummy recipes in Mandarin Chinese. Despite our family’s dietary restrictions and inability to eat most of these foods, my kids and I have enjoyed these Chinese cooking shows!
Magic Ingredients 小高姐的
This Canadian Chinese cooking channel on YouTube features close-up footage of each recipe step. Since the videos are narrated at a natural, unrushed, conversational pace, it’s an especially great channel to build Chinese fluency. Watch on YouTube.
Liziqi 李子柒
Get ready to be inspired by this multi-talented woman! 李子柒 Liziqi lives in a rural village in Sichuan, China, and shows us all of the traditional Chinese food (among many other things) she makes from scratch. Watch her Chinese channel on YouTube.
Amanda Tastes 曼食慢语
My kids have been watching this British Chinese food blogger for years. She makes many traditional Chinese dishes like dumplings, mooncakes, and meals from various cultures. Watch on YouTube.
Baby Loves to Cook 寶貝愛做菜
This Taiwanese Mandarin cooking show on YouTube is fantastic for kids and parents. You can see how the family interacts and connects while preparing, cooking, and eating meals. Watch on YouTube.
Let’s Cook ABC 做菜ABC
This Mandarin YouTube cooking show was created to teach English to Taiwanese kids. Since each video is mostly in Mandarin with a few keywords in English, this cooking show helps children learn about food in Chinese. Watch on YouTube.
Tinrry+ 甜悦烘焙
Get ready to crave dessert while learning Mandarin. My kids have been obsessed with Tinrry’s amazing baking videos for years. Although we don’t bake often, my kids have learned many Chinese baking phrases from these YouTube videos. Watch on YouTube.
Mandarin Chinese cartoon shows on Youtube
If you’re looking for animated shows on YouTube, check out the best Chinese cartoons for kids here.
More fun Mandarin Chinese shows for kids
These days, kids have endless options for Chinese shows and movies. You’ll never run out of videos to watch with Netflix and Disney.
Common questions about Chinese YouTube shows for kids
Here are answers to questions that parents often ask about Chinese YouTube shows.
Can kids learn Mandarin from YouTube videos?
Screen time is a sensitive topic. It often triggers guilt for busy parents because interaction is the best way for children to learn Chinese.
However, Chinese shows can potentially help kids speak the minority language. Kids are more likely to learn if the language and content are appropriate to their level, especially with co-viewing (watching TV with a caregiver).
As for babies, real-life experiences and hands-on activities are necessary to expand vocabulary. Screen time should be minimized to protect developing brains. If you don’t have access to a native Chinese language teacher or nanny at this age, waiting until they are old enough to handle screen time is a great idea.
How to slow down Chinese shows on YouTube
If the YouTube shows in Mandarin Chinese are too fast for your child, here’s how to slow down YouTube videos.
- Click on the gear icon (settings) in the bottom right corner of the screen.
- Click “Playback speed”
- Decrease the speed to 0.75.
- If that is too slow, click on Custom.
- Use the slider to adjust the speed by 0.05 increments.
Is it safe for my child to watch Mandarin shows on YouTube?
YouTube has a dedicated app for kids, but Chinese shows are often unavailable there.
Consider upgrading to YouTube Premium for ad-free viewing or subscribing to Disney Plus, Netflix, or Amazon Prime. Otherwise, parents should watch YouTube shows with kids to monitor and skip over pesky and inappropriate YouTube commercials.
Parents who prefer to avoid screen time can play videos with the screen face-down, using the device as an audio player.
How long should kids watch Chinese YouTube shows?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends:
- <Age 18 months: None (except for video-chatting with relatives)
- Age 18-24 months: Limited, high-quality screen time with caregivers.
- Age 2-5 years: <1 hour per day with caregivers to ensure understanding.
- >Age 6 years: Set a specific time limit in your child’s schedule. Talk about how excessive videos at any age can hurt a child’s behavior, mental health, weight, vision, and sleep.
To learn more about the effects of media on children:
- Watch: TEDx video by health expert Dr. Dimitri Christakis
- Read: 10 tips to protect eyes during screen time from the American Academy of Ophthalmology
What other Chinese YouTube shows with real people for kids do you recommend?
We would be grateful to know which Chinese YouTube channel is your favorite! Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Thank you for sharing this! It’s an advantage for a kid to learn a new language at an early age as this help develop their brain. I also like how vast these Chinese educational videos are from cooking to math subjects. I’m curious if these educational videos are also available in other languages?
I would like to recommend Dudu Town Youtube channel as well! They have a wide variety of books that not only include stories but also Chinese idioms, poetry, etc! They have practices as well! Very good and interactive way of learning the language for kids of all ages!
I don’t have any to share but was wondering if you have been able to find something similar in Chinese to getepic.com in English? I love how Getepic has the read to me books that students can choose from to help them understand the language, earn badges….. I can’t read or write Chinese so this would be so helpful for the kids!
Hi Lisa! Thanks for reaching out. I’ve heard good reviews from other parents who use ichinesereader.com. This website has books in both traditional and simplified Chinese.
Boonie Bears is another great watch! They have both English and Mandarin channels on YouTube as well as lots of different types of series. I think they even have movies as well!
Thank you for the recommendation! Looks like this cartoon is for older kids!
Thank you for putting together these recommendations. Here’s a set of videos I received from the San Francisco Unified School District organized by grade (K – 5): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ks8f1TOeUWvjWmv8sbFcoC2PCQN3vIbzN6LaU5ApYJo/edit?usp=sharing
Hi Jason! Thank you for sharing more Mandarin YouTube recommendations!
Hi Betty,
I want to recommend “Little Fox Chinese” in YouTube for preschooler.
Thank you for the recommendation! Little Fox Chinese is a great channel for learning Mandarin.