Early Childhood Education, Animation, and YouTube

Kayla Cole, Em Miller, Lauren Krieger

Abstract

The foundational study seeks to take a children’s book, created by the Department of

Human Development and Family Studies, focused on teaching pattern recognition, and make it

easily accessible for children on YouTube by restyling it into a 3D animated short. This study

documents the process researchers went through to create the animation from the book.

Furthermore, it seeks to examine how childhood education television programs can be adapted to

fit the rapidly changing media environment in which online viewing platforms, such as YouTube,

are surpassing television as children's primary choice for screen viewing. First, this study

describes the process of creating an animated short and introduces steps such as modeling,

rigging, and texturing the characters and environment used in the book. Then, using an illustrated

voiceover reading of the children’s book created by the Department of Human Development and

Family Studies as a control video, researchers will conduct a survey to examine audience

attention span and reach between the animated video and control video to see if the project is a

successful recreation that shares the same educational material, and captures the audience’s

attention.

Chapter 1: Statement of Purpose

Early childhood educational television programs like Sesame Street have been one of the

primary sources of young children’s media entertainment for many years. These programs have

been successful at teaching children skills from sharing to counting that they then can take with
them into the classroom (Tankersley, 2015). Due to the continual increase in the advancement of

technology, the source where children get their entertainment is changing dramatically. 

With the rise of the internet and the iPhone, children are turning their attention to the

handheld screen. The main source of entertainment for children has now become YouTube

videos (Elias & Sulkin, 2017). Most of the videos they are consuming are only a few minutes

long and tend to lack the same focus on curriculum that Sesame Street had. This means that

educational shows may need to change their platform and formula to reach a wider audience.

The purpose of this study is to see if streaming services, like YouTube, have the potential

to engage children with quality educational content similar to how traditional media has. The

goal is to identify if an educational children’s video can retain the same attention span as a video

following the formula of some of the most popular children’s videos on the platform.

1.1 Research Question

● Can a non-traditional platform be used to provide children with educational and

engaging content?

 1.2 Scope

This project will examine the engagement and enjoyment of the educational animated

short film versus that of a reading of a children’s book on YouTube. Though there are many

popular forms of YouTube videos for kids, from toy unboxings to crafts, the study will focus on

the reading of a children’s book made for children from the age range of four to five years old. 

1.3 Significance
 The significance of this study is to see if newer forms of streaming services and handheld

devices, that give children more access to immediate entertainment, can be used in an

educational context. This is important because more and more people are getting their

entertainment from streaming services like YouTube and are turning away from the more

traditional forms, such as programmed television. Though streaming services do contain some

high-quality media for children, YouTube is the more accessible option with shorter videos to

watch that keep a child’s attention. The downside to these videos is that they are often made with

poor animation and visuals with the goal of profiting off views. With YouTube’s recent changes

to conform to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act or COPPA, the incentive for making

children’s content is no longer there. The study hopes to give background on the benefits of

children's media and determine if educational content, in short video form, can find interest and

popularity on the YouTube platform. 

1.4 Definitions

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA): Created in 1998, this act requires the federal

trade commission to impose restrictions on a ny website’s collection of data on those under the

age of thirteen.

1.5 Assumptions

The following list is of assumptions that have been identified as potential effectors of the

study:

● The participants have watched YouTube children’s content before.

● The participants are watching the video with their parents.

● The children watching this type of content are between the ages of four to five.
 1.6 Limitations

The following list is of limitations that have been identified to be an aspect of the study:

● The different educational backgrounds of children in the age group being

examined.

● The types of videos the participants typically watch. Are they watching toy

reviews, nursery rhymes, video gameplay?

1.7 Delimitations

The following list is of delimitations that have been identified to be an aspect of the

study:

● How often children watch YouTube videos.

● If the children are normally supervised while watching videos.

Chapter 2: Review of Literature

While researching early childhood education and its development for both the small and

now handheld screen, it was found that much of the research conducted focuses on the changing

attention span of young children and the increasing amount of time children spend on YouTube.

Along with these trends, many scholarly articles focus on the importance of educational media

and how it can help children with their early developmental skills. The review of literature is

sectioned to address these topics.

2.1 Childhood Attention Span

A child’s attention span develops rapidly from infancy to their preschool years. As an

infant, attention is characterized by automatic alertness to the environment around them and
changes within it (Gaertner et al., 2008; Graziano et al., 2011; Mahone & Schneider, 2012).

Around two years of age, a child develops the ability to control their attention and maintain focus

on a particular stimuli (Graziano et al., 2011). A child’s ability to stay engaged with their focus

of attention strengthens during their first four years. Developmentally increases occur, but the

level of focused attention at the end of this period can vary depending on the level of

socialization and play a child had (Gaertner et al., 2008). Methods for measuring a child’s

attention span include performance-based tests in which participants must complete games or

pay attention to certain objects, rating scales used to determine if attention problems are present

and structured interviews with child and caregiver about attention (Mahone & Schneider, 2012).

Developmental researchers have indicated that the average attention span for a four-year-old is

between eight to 12 minutes (Normal Attention Span Expectations By Age, n.d.).

2.2 YouTube and Children

A 2–5-year-old is estimated to spend over three hours a day consuming screen content

with recent studies showing that most of this screen time is not spent watching traditional

television (Elias & Sulkin, 2017). A study conducted by the Pew Research Center found that

“81% of all parents with children age 11 or younger say they ever let their child watch videos on

YouTube. And 34% of parents say their child watches content on YouTube regularly” (Smith et

al., 2018). Some of the most popular videos children watch include nursery rhyme animations,

toy unboxings, and slime videos. These videos are on average between 10 and 15 minutes in

length. The YouTube algorithm contributes to these trends by recommending similarly themed

videos that a child can then easily click on when they finish or become bored with their current

video (Lafrance, 2017). The estimated revenue YouTube makes from children’s media is between

$500 million and $750 million per year, with creators getting 55% of the ad revenue off their

videos. One YouTuber making content for children, Tahlia Morgan was making $8,000 a month
off her videos in 2013 (Jennings, 2019). The enforcement of the Children’s Online Privacy

Protection Act has now made it so that targeted ads can not appear on videos made for children.

With this change in the YouTube Framework, the incentive for the creating of children’s content

has fallen (Jennings, 2019).

2.3 Educational Media and Developmental Skills

When looking at educational media for children, the natural start is to look at Sesame

Street. Sesame Street was the first children’s program with the aim of preparing kids for school.

The program teaches letters, numbers, and other topics important for children entering the

classroom (Tankersley, 2015). In a comparison between viewers and none viewers, it was found

that the show’s storytelling approach had helped to get the learning concepts across to children

and showed educational progress in viewers (Tankersley, 2015). Current studies now are looking

at if YouTube videos can carry the same educational benefits. When showing test subjects

YouTube videos focused on improving the cognitive development of imagination, language,

curiosity, and concentration, it was found that the stimulation offered in these videos can help to

improve a child’s cognitive development (Asmiarti & Winangun, 2018). Despite these positive

findings, studies on the educational benefit of YouTube are few.

2.4 Conclusion

The ideas presented above in the review of literature demonstrate a comparison between

the development of a child’s attention span and the amount of time spent on YouTube and the

potential for effective educational children’s content to live on the platform. The attention span

of a 4–5-year-old fits well into the YouTube formula of recommended 10-15 minute videos as

compared to traditional 15-30 min programs. Though there is popularity in the site and its

videos, many have been made with the purpose of profit until the recent enforcement of COPPA.
The educational benefit of these videos has also received little attention from studies. These

findings serve to show the gap in research in the area of educational content on Youtube.

Chapter 3: Methodology

The goal of this research is to determine if educational children’s content could garner as

much attention as regular videos aimed at children on YouTube. The objective of the study is to

compare the audience retention and enjoyment between the educational animated video and the

control when published on YouTube.

3.1 Design

This study is based on YouTube analytics gathered from views on the finished animated

videos and anonymous polls attached asking viewers to rate their engagement and enjoyment of

the videos.

Independent Variables: Participant attention span, Participant enjoyment

Dependent Variables: Percentage of viewer retention, Percentage enjoyment between

videos

The following are hypotheses that will be tested for the study:

H1: 80% of viewers will have an attention span long enough to watch the whole educational

animated video.

H2: 95% of viewers will have an attention span long enough to watch the whole control video.

H3: Participants who watch the educational animated video will have a similar average rating of

enjoyment as those who watched the control.

3.2 Participants

The participants in the study are coming from Facebook groups and other online

platforms aimed toward the ages of preschoolers, from the ages of four to five. This is the age
group the authors had in mind when writing the story to help them better learn pattern

recognition.

3.3 Stimuli

Participants will be instructed to watch two videos. The first video being an animated

short story based on the book “The Pattern Pals: Birthday Boops and Beeps” written by the

Purdue University Science and Stories Collaborative. The story follows two characters, Clara the

Chameleon and Zoe the Parrot. It’s Clara’s birthday and when she finds Zoe setting up for

somebody else’s birthday party, she fears Zoe has forgotten it. In the end, it is revealed that the

party is for Clara as a surprise, and Zoe has not forgotten her best friend's birthday. Throughout

the book, patterns are identified through different colors, shapes, and words to help kids identify

and learn more about patterns. The video makes use of the reading questions in the original book

by asking them to the audience. This video is six minutes in length.

The second video will be a control video in which images of the original book appear on

the screen accompanied by a narrator. This video is meant to be similar to other children's book

videos available on the platform and contains the same story as the animation. This video is four

minutes in length.

These short films will be uploaded onto the platform YouTube where they will be kept

unlisted in order to keep the study as controlled as possible. Participants will be instructed to

watch both videos. After viewing these videos, participants will fill out an attached anonymous

survey in which they can rate their enjoyment. After the collection of results from the study, the

story will be made public, and all those who wish to watch will be welcome. 

3.4 Procedure
 The researchers aim to test a total of 10 participants gathered from online forums and

social media. These participants will be asked to watch both the educational or control video.

When sharing these videos, researchers will encourage parents to let their child stop watching or

click on recommended videos when they lose interest. After viewing the videos, participants will

then also be asked their opinion on each video they just watched on a scale from 1-5, what they

liked about it, and if they would want to watch similar videos in the future through an

anonymous survey. The study will remain open for a few weeks in order to receive the most

participation. Following this study researchers will then examine how well the control video does

against the educational video on YouTube through views and average view duration listed in

each video’s Youtube Analytics page.

Chapter 4: Presentation and Analysis of Data

Three weeks after sending out the anonymous survey to be filled out by parents of

4-5-year-olds, we received seven participants. Due to the nature of this study, results are being

looked at not as confirmations of hypotheses but as proof that the research question is viable and

will require further research. Results and their implications are discussed below.

4.1 Results

Participants answered eight questions. Questions included (q1) how old the child

participating was, (q2) how each child rated the control video on a scale from 1 (did not like at

all) to 5 (enjoyed a lot!), (q3) If the child watched the whole control video all the way through,

(q4) how each child rated the animated video on a scale from 1 to 5, (q5) If the child watched the

whole animated video all the way through, (q6) what video was the child's favorite, (q7) why

that video was their favorite, and (q8) if the child would be interested in watching future

animated videos in the future. The results for each question are as follows:
 (q1)Two participants were 2-years old, four participants were 4-years old, and 1

participant was 5-years old. (q2) Two participants rated the control video as a two, three

participants rated the video at a four, and two participants rated the video as five. (q3) 57.1% of

participants watched the control video all the way through. The average enjoyment for the

control video was 73.4%. (q4) Two participants rated the animated video as four and five

participants rated the video as five. The average enjoyment for the animated video was 93.4%.

(q5) 71.4% of participants watched the animated video all the way through. (q6) The results for

the favorite video of the two were mostly split with 57.1% liking the animated video over the

42.9% that preferred the control. (q7) Comments on why participants preferred the animated

video included “Because the video one moved”, “Movement”, and “The beep boop”. Participants

who preferred the control video said that they “Didn’t like being asked questions in the middle

by the caterpillar” and “Watched the 1st video more”. (q8) All participants stated they were

interested in seeing future animated videos.

(q1)
(q2)

(q3)

(q4)
 (q5)

(q6)

(q7)
 (q8)

4.2 Analysis

Going into the study we had three hypotheses: That 80% of viewers will be able to watch

the whole animated video. 95% of viewers would be able to watch the whole control, and that

participants will have a similar average rating of enjoyment between both videos. Current results

showed that 66.7% of participants have watched the animated video all the way through and 50%

of participants have watched the whole control video. These results come from a small number

of participants but are still much lower than anticipated. This could indicate distractions while

participants watched the video or an attention span lower than the six minutes of the animated

video and the four minutes of the control video for the tested age group. The average enjoyment

of the animated video is 93.4% and 73.4% for the control video. These average ratings are

currently not similar, though they show a preference for the animated educational video over the

control which indicates further content like this could be successful. It is important to note that

when looking at YouTube analytics, we found that views and retention could not be recorded if

the participants were not logged into the platform. Due to this flaw, only results from the survey

were analyzed.
 Chapter 5: Conclusion

The foundational study sought to create an educational 3D animation based on a

children’s book, created by the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, for the

Youtube platform. This animation worked in conjunction to help explore the research question. if

a non-traditional platform such as YouTube can be used to provide children with educational and

engaging content. Though few results were gathered from the study, the video created, and the

responses gained informs researchers that this is a viable question to consider examining and

further studies can be done on how to best create educational material for YouTube. The project

involved showing one approach educational content can be shared in an entertaining way though

there are many more. As YouTube continues to grow as a platform, researchers will have the

potential to analyze the content available and determine how the platform can further be utilized

to teach children.
 References

Asmiarti, D., & Winangun, G. (2018). The Role of YouTube Media as a Means to Optimize

Early Childhood Cognitive Development. MATEC Web of Conferences, 205, 00002.

https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201820500002

Elias, N., & Sulkin, I. (2017). YouTube viewers in diapers: An exploration of factors associated

with amount of toddlers’ online viewing. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial

Research on Cyberspace, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.5817/CP2017-3-2

Gaertner, B. M., Spinrad, T. L., & Eisenberg, N. (2008). Focused Attention in Toddlers. Infant

and Child Development, 17(4), 339–363. https://doi.org/10.1002/ICD.580

Graziano, P. A., Calkins, S. D., & Keane, S. P. (2011). Sustained Attention Development during

the Toddlerhood to Preschool Period: Associations with Toddlers’ Emotion Regulation

Strategies and Maternal Behavior. Infant and Child Development, 20(6), 389–408.

https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.731

Jennings, R. (2019, December 20). The golden age of kids’ YouTube is over. Good. Vox.

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/12/20/21025139/youtube-kids-coppa-law-ftc-2020

Lafrance, A. (2017, July 25). The Algorithm That Makes Preschoolers Obsessed With YouTube

Kids—The Atlantic. The Atlantic.

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/07/what-youtube-reveals-about-the

-toddler-mind/534765/

Mahone, E. M., & Schneider, H. E. (2012). Assessment of Attention in Preschoolers.

Normal Attention Span Expectations By Age. (n.d.). Retrieved March 4, 2021, from

https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/blog/normal-attention-span-expectations-by-age

Smith, A., Toor, S., & Van Kessel, P. (2018, November 7). Many Turn to YouTube for Children’s

Content, News, How-To Lessons | Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center.

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/11/07/many-turn-to-youtube-for-childrens-co

ntent-news-how-to-lessons/

Tankersley, J. (2015, June 7). Study: Kids can learn as much from ‘Sesame Street’ as from

preschool—The Washington Post. The Washington Post.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/sesame-street-and-its-surprisingly-p

owerful-effects-on-how-children-learn/2015/06/07/59c73fe4-095c-11e5-9e39-0db921c47

b93_story.html