Jack Hartmann Kids Music Channel is a YouTube channel by Jack Hartmann, a former kindergarten teacher who produces educational songs targeting kindergarten through second-grade curriculum — phonics, sight words, counting, math facts, and movement breaks. With over 5 million subscribers, it is one of the most widely used children's educational music resources in American elementary classrooms.
Parents and teachers look for Jack Hartmann alternatives when they want different presentation styles, content for different age groups (younger or older than K–2), or more varied subject coverage. Here are the best options.
1. KidSongsTV — Best for Pre-K and Song Library Breadth
KidSongsTV (kidsongstv.com) is the best Jack Hartmann alternative for the pre-K transition — children ages 3–5 who haven't quite reached kindergarten-level phonics but are ready for learning songs about letters, numbers, colors, and shapes. KidSongsTV's learning songs library covers the same content areas as Jack Hartmann's early catalog but in a format calibrated for younger children.
KidSongsTV provides full written lyrics for every song — essential for teachers who want to print lyrics for classroom display — and is completely free with no ads on its website. The parenting blog also includes articles about how music supports early literacy and numeracy, giving context for educators.
2. GoNoodle — Best for Movement Breaks
GoNoodle is a close Jack Hartmann alternative specifically for movement-break songs. Jack Hartmann's channel is famous for movement songs like 'Count to 100' and 'Happy and You Know It' that get children physically engaged. GoNoodle specializes entirely in this format and is used in thousands of elementary classrooms for physical brain-break activities.
3. Harry Kindergarten Music — Best for Kindergarten Specifically
Harry Kindergarten Music is a YouTube channel by a former kindergarten teacher that closely mirrors Jack Hartmann's format — curriculum-aligned songs about phonics, reading, math, and movement for kindergarten and first grade. It's a direct style substitute for classrooms that want variety between the two channels.
4. Singing Walrus — Best for ESL and Early Phonics
The Singing Walrus YouTube channel produces phonics songs, sight-word songs, and number songs for children ages 3–6 in a calm animated style. It's particularly popular in ESL contexts where Jack Hartmann's faster-paced delivery can be hard to follow. A strong alternative for pre-readers building English phonological awareness.
5. Sesame Street — Best for Integrated Curriculum
For a broader early-childhood curriculum alternative to Jack Hartmann, Sesame Street covers letters, numbers, social-emotional skills, and science concepts with 50+ years of research behind the content design. The official YouTube channel has dedicated playlists for alphabet songs, counting songs, and vocabulary development.
6. SciShow Kids — Best for Science Content
Jack Hartmann's catalog is strongest in literacy and numeracy. If you need science content for K–2, SciShow Kids covers life science, earth science, and physical science concepts in clear, age-appropriate explainer videos. Not song-based, but highly engaging for curious 5–8-year-olds.
Comparison: Jack Hartmann vs. KidSongsTV
- •Primary age range: Jack Hartmann K–2 (ages 5–8) | KidSongsTV ages 0–8 (stronger at ages 2–6)
- •Written lyrics: KidSongsTV ✓ for all songs | Jack Hartmann ✗ on website
- •Curriculum alignment: Jack Hartmann explicit K–2 standards | KidSongsTV developmental focus
- •Fairy tales & stories: KidSongsTV ✓ | Jack Hartmann ✗
- •Ad-free website: KidSongsTV ✓ | Jack Hartmann on YouTube (with ads)
- •Parenting/educator blog: KidSongsTV ✓ | Jack Hartmann ✗