14 Totally Free Roku Channels for Kids

Whether it is a rainy day or just a lazy afternoon, kids of all ages are going to watch TV. We usually have subscriptions for Disney Plus, Hulu, and Paramount + that total about $30 a month which is the most that I want to spend on TV every month.

Occasionally you will run out of premium TV content to watch or just want some free alternatives. I have found many channels available on Roku that are free and perfect for young kids! Not only are these channels entertaining, but most are educational as well.

PBS Kids

This is one of my favorite channels for kids to watch. We can see newer episodes of Sesame Street, Daniel the Tiger, and lots of other shows. They usually play with a brief commercial at the beginning and the rest is ad free. The Sesame Street section even has a ton of brief videos that are mainly just the songs that my kids love to watch.

Blippi

My 5 year old has been obsessed with Blippi for a long time, and now he has his own channel on Roku! Literally all of the Blippi world is available and it is even well categorized into full length shows, just songs, or all videos about trucks. This channel is a life saver when I am trying to make dinner or if it is just a yucky rainy day outside. Not only is it entertaining for kids, but I have actually learned some fun information as well. There are some ads on this channel but they are mostly for other free kids channels that are available.

PawPatrol

Who doesn’t love Paw Patrol? Both my kids love this show, and this channel has everything you could possibly want about Paw Patrol. My recent find is lessons involving the Paw Patrol characters like different occupations. Since the lessons involve all of their favorite characters, I have found that they are more likely to pay attention and absorb the information. They also have some cute videos that get your kids up and moving with different motions to follow along to like dancing and jumping in place.

GoNoodle

The description of this channel was very intriguing because it mentioned that this programming is used in elementary schools. A lot of the content is meant for kids ages 5-10 and it has lots of fun dancing and indoor recess videos. I wouldn’t say that we binge watch this channel, but when you need a good 15 minutes to keep your kids occupied, this one definitely works.

Pink Fong & Baby Shark

Just when you thought that Baby Shark was dead, you can now listen to the same catchy and annoying song sung in hundreds of variations including Baby Car, Baby T-Rex, and others. Honestly, I can only take this channel in small doses but as part of our wake-up routine it is awesome! When the kids are dragging along to get ready in the morning, if you pop on some Pink Fong, the catchy songs make them jump up and dance so we can finish getting ready in a hurry!

Super Simple Songs

If you’re noticing a theme here, it is that both my kids are absolutely obsessed with music. This channel is a little bit more laid back and not as flashy in colors that some of the other ones are. We like this one more for after dinner play time. It’s not as crazy as Cocomelon can get, so we get a little fun and not hype the kids up too much before bed.

Lego Channel

This is a newer channel that I have found recently, and my son seems to love seeing all the Lego figures in action. There are a bunch of different shows and also fun tutorials about things you can make with legos. I think as my 5-year-old gets older, he will really appreciate this channel more.

HappyKids, 2 & 3

This is actually 3 separate channels under the name of Happy Kids and they all have some similar content available for a big range of kids from babies to 10 years old. The vast amount of content means you can easily find something new to try out. There are some ads on this channel but they are fairly quick. We have found fun shows and movies on these channels.

Cocomelon

I have a love/hate relationship with Cocomelon. My kids love it and they both pick it up really quick and expand their vocabulary. The downside is that these catchy tunes will get stuck in your head, and you will sing them out loud at the grocery store. There are literally songs about everything, and they are all sung in a catchy way. This is also a great channel to get the kids up and dancing!

Phonics for Kids

This channel has become a HUGE favorite of mine. They have a section called Vooks which is visual books that are real books that are made into a cartoon like read along. My kids are huge fans of reading books, so this just excites them so much and they can watch this for a long time. They also have lots of fun songs and other shows too!

Little Baby Bum

This is another cute channel full of songs and fun ways to explore basic learning like letters, numbers, and colors. I would say this is a great alternative to Cocomelon if you want something not as bright with more subtle colors. Similar to Cocomelon, they have the same group of characters that appear in all the videos.

YouTube

Technically this is a free channel, so I have included it in the list. I have found many different video series that my kids love to watch and also some full-length movies. As a pro tip for YouTube, I like to go search all of their favorite songs from different movies like Frozen, Trolls, and Shrek. I save them to a Kids Music Folder, and when we are waiting at a doctor’s office or stuck in traffic, I can play these videos from my phone for a quick entertainment trick!

Screen Time for Kids

I know there are some parents that only let their kids watch 1 hour of screen time a day and that is fantastic for their lifestyle. There are just times when you are trying to make dinner or fold laundry, that having a fun and educational show to watch makes life easier!

We may have some sort of show on TV most of the day, but really it is just noise and background to my kids. While they are playing, they may stop and watch for a few minutes and then they are back to chasing each other around the house.

Since the active watch time of these shows is pretty minimal, I just can’t justify spending a whole lot of money every month for the content. These 12 channels are a perfect burst of entertainment without hitting my wallet!

Need some more ways to save on kid related expenses? Check out “How to Save Money on Juice” for money saving ideas!