Crash Course

Crash Course is a large library of free, fast-paced YouTube courses for teens and adults covering history, science, literature, social sciences, and more. Families typically choose a subject-aligned playlist (such as World History, US History, Biology, or Government), then integrate episodes into their weekly schedule as lecture-style content paired with readings, note-taking, and projects.

Younger teens benefit from parents co-watching at first, modeling active note-taking and facilitating discussion. Older students often watch independently, then meet with a parent once or twice a week to review notes, ask questions, and plan written or project-based assessments tied to the episodes.

Learners should have solid middle- or high-school–level reading comprehension to get the most out of the series and enough maturity to handle frank discussions of history, politics, and science. Parents of younger or sensitive teens may want to pre-screen specific series for tone and topics.

Crash Course’s fast‑paced, high‑energy videos are a big hit with many ADHD, gifted, and teen learners who like humor and condensed content. However, the speed and density can overwhelm some autistic or anxious kids, so families may want to slow playback, watch in short bursts, and follow up with discussion or notes.

Not designed specifically for 2e, but many 2e teens love the fast‑paced, humorous explanations. Because the info density is high, pausing, rewatching, and doodling notes can help learners with processing‑speed or attention differences.

There is no purchasing or subscription required for the core videos, so there is no formal refund policy; families can simply stop using the material if it isn’t a good fit.

Not a good fit for very young learners, students who need slow, highly scaffolded explanations, or families wanting a faith-based or strictly textbook-driven program; also less suitable for kids who require lots of hands-on activities and real-time interaction.

Crash Course continually launches new series and refreshes older ones, and many courses now have companion materials like reading lists, practice questions, and teacher resources. Families can build multi-year humanities and science tracks by combining different playlists as they are released.

Use Crash Course as a “lecture component”: assign a specific playlist, have students take Cornell-style notes, then immediately follow up with problems, primary sources, or written narrations from a different resource to cement learning.