Parents' Guide to

BrainPOP

By Dana Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Videos and activities are fun, accurate, and valuable.

BrainPOP Icon

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this website.

Community Reviews

age 9+

Based on 15 parent reviews

age 8+

Boring etc.

Besides it being boring and every teacher loving it, you can clearly see their point of view in politics. Would not recommend, there are other and better ways to teach and better topics they don’t really cover.
age 6+

really good

It's a really educational site, my school uses it a lot. Just monitor your kids if they're young, because they have movies about sex and menstruation.

Privacy Rating Warning

  • Personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
  • Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is displayed.
  • Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Data profiles are created and used for personalised advertisements.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (15 ):
Kids say (34 ):

This resource is a standard-bearer for quality, self-directed online educational content for older grade school-age kids. BrainPOP includes videos, audio prompts, graphics, games, and use-what-you-learned activities in a blended format that will be very familiar to most kids. Kids can spend hours on this site exploring many of the main topics that contain more sub-categories, like the science and math sections. There are some sensitive topics addressed here, such as war and terrorism, but kids are warned to get a parent or teacher to watch that video with them prior to clicking play. There's more than enough content here to keep kids busy, engaged, and learning for a long time.

Most games are clever, creative, and address learning concepts not traditionally explored in this format, such as the Judicial Court where kids argue court cases at the Supreme Court. Many topics also offer kids the opportunity to use what they've learned to create something from simple organizational tools like concept map creators, to more complex tools like videos and games kids create with a movie maker or through coding. All these activities offer kids a really nice and unique way to actively engage deeply with the subject matter.

Website Details

  • Subjects: Language & Reading : reading, storytelling, text analysis, vocabulary, writing, Math : algebra, arithmetic, geometry, measurement, probability, ratio, Science : astronomy, biology, ecosystems and the environment, energy, gravity, life cycle, motion, Social Studies : citizenship, cultural understanding, events, government, historical figures, history, the economy, Arts : dance, drawing, film, music, painting, photography, sculpture
  • Skills: Thinking & Reasoning : applying information, making conclusions, part-whole relationships, thinking critically, Self-Direction : academic development, self-assessment, Emotional Development : handling stress, identifying emotions, Communication : conveying messages effectively, multiple forms of expression, Tech Skills : coding, digital creation, Health & Fitness : balanced diet, mental health, movement
  • Genre: Educational
  • Topics: STEM , Great Girl Role Models , History , Science and Nature
  • Pricing structure: Free to try (Plans start at $129 yearly or $15.95/monthly. 2-week free trial available.)
  • Last updated: May 4, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

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