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A guide for teachers

How to turn a lesson topic into an animated video

The short answer

To turn a lesson topic into an animated video, pick one learning goal, write a short script in your pupils' words, add simple visuals or animation, record clear narration, and keep it to a few minutes. Watch it once as a pupil would, fix what is unclear, then share it through your usual class platform.

Read the seven stepsSee BrainBite VideoLees deze gids in het Nederlands
Step by step

Seven steps from topic to finished video

These steps work with any tool, from a narrated slideshow to a full animation. The planning matters more than the software.

  1. Step 1: Pick one learning goal

    Write down the one thing pupils should know or be able to do after watching. Finish the sentence: after this video, you can…

    If you need the word “and” twice, you have two videos. A clear goal also tells you what to leave out, which is often the hardest part.

    Teacher tip: Start from the moment your class always gets stuck on. That is where a video saves you the most time.

  2. Step 2: Write a short script

    Write the narration before you open any tool. Use short sentences, everyday words and one new term at a time, and explain each term the first time it appears.

    Read it aloud with a timer. That is roughly the length of your video, so cut now rather than in the edit.

    Teacher tip: Open with a question your pupils would ask, and end by repeating the learning goal in one sentence.

  3. Step 3: Add visuals

    Give every sentence or two one picture: a diagram, a photo, a map or a simple drawing. Animate only what pupils need to follow step by step, such as an arrow moving round the water cycle.

    Keep words on screen to a label or a key term. Long text on screen while you talk makes pupils choose between reading and listening.

    Teacher tip: Check that colour is never the only clue. Add a label or a shape so every pupil can follow.

  4. Step 4: Record the narration

    Record in a quiet room with the microphone close to your mouth. A headset or a phone held still works fine. Speak a little slower than you do in class and pause between ideas.

    Your own voice is a strength: pupils know it, and it makes the video feel like part of your lesson rather than something from outside.

    Teacher tip: Record one slide or scene at a time, so a slip means redoing ten seconds, not the whole video.

  5. Step 5: Keep it short

    Aim for a few minutes per video. Cut anything that is nice to know rather than need to know, and remove long introductions.

    If the topic is big, make a short series with one goal each. Pupils can rewatch the part they need instead of scrolling through one long video.

    Teacher tip: Leave the examples and the practice for the lesson. The video explains; the lesson is where pupils try it.

  6. Step 6: Check it

    Watch the whole video once as a pupil would, with the sound on and then with it off. Check facts, spelling, pace and whether every picture matches what you say.

    Add captions or a transcript so every pupil can follow, including pupils who are deaf or hard of hearing, and pupils still learning the language.

    Teacher tip: Show it to a colleague or two pupils first and ask what the video was about. If their answer is not your learning goal, change the script.

  7. Step 7: Share it

    Share it where pupils already find their work: your learning platform, the class page or the board in your classroom. Follow your school's rules on where videos may be stored.

    Add one or two questions to answer after watching, so the video leads into the lesson rather than replacing it.

    Teacher tip: Keep your script. Next year you can change one scene instead of starting again.

An honest comparison

Five ways to make a lesson video

Each way below can turn a topic into a video. What differs is how much animation you get, how long it takes you, and what it costs.

If you already teach from slides, recording your narration over them is free or included in what your school has, and it is a perfectly good lesson video for many topics. Reach for an animation tool when the topic needs movement that slides cannot show.

Ways to make a lesson video, with what each tool can do and its price model. Facts about other tools come from their official pages, linked in each cell.
Way and toolWhat it can doPrice and free planA good fit when
Slides with recorded narrationGoogle SlidesYour school already uses Google Workspace and you want to talk pupils through slides you already have.
Slides with recorded narrationPowerPointYou already teach from PowerPoint and want a video file you can upload anywhere.
Slides with recorded narrationKeynoteYou prepare lessons on a Mac and already build your slides in Keynote.
Design toolsCanvaCanva's own pages would not open for us when we checked, so we list no Canva facts here. Check canva.com for its current features and plans.You want to see whether a design tool you may already use for worksheets also suits video.
Animation toolsPowtoonYou want cartoon-style characters and have time to build the scenes yourself.
Animation toolsVyondYour school or trust needs polished animation for training as well as teaching, with a budget to match.
Whiteboard screencast appsExplain EverythingYou explain best by drawing and writing as you talk, like at the board.
Lesson video made for youBrainBite Video
  • Turns your lesson idea into a finished video. You give the topic, the age and the key points.
  • A fast run makes the whole video in one go. A guided run lets you say yes to the script, the pictures, the voice and the video.
  • If something is wrong, only that step and the steps after it are made again. Works in Dutch and English.
From the BrainBite Video page
  • In early access.
  • Starter €19 a month (80 credits, about 10 minutes of video) and Creator €39 a month (200 credits, about 25 minutes), at Early Adopter prices. One credit is one scene of about 10 seconds.
  • Schools: €1,500 a year per school (ex. VAT), with 8,000 credits shared.
You want an animated video for one topic and one age without building it scene by scene.
Questions

Questions teachers ask about lesson videos

A classroom video works best when it covers one idea in a few minutes. Short videos are easier to watch with full attention and leave lesson time to talk about them. If a topic needs more, split it into a short series with one learning goal each, rather than recording one long video.

Sources

Where the facts come from

We read each tool's official page or help centre on the date below and quote its own words. Plans and prices change, so check the page before you buy. BrainBite is not connected to any of these companies.

Checked on

BrainBite Video facts come from our own BrainBite Video page and our page for schools. BrainBite Video · Schools

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