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Many parents wonder how to encourage a love of reading in their kids – especially if they’re reluctant readers. I’ve written about raising a reluctant reader (see post here), but what if your child already likes reading? How do you deepen that passion and turn it into a lifelong love of learning?
In our family, the answer came unexpectedly – through the Titanic. My husband and I went on a cruise for our 10-year anniversary. In conversations with our boys (then 6 and 4), the topic of the Titanic came up. What started as an initial curiosity grew into a full-blown passion. We leaned into that interest with books, documentaries, museum trips and hands-on activities. Not only did it strengthen their reading skills, but it also showed us how powerful interest-led reading can be.
Step 1: Start with Books
When kids discover a topic they love, books are the gateway to deeper learning. For my son, I checked out all the Titanic books my library carried, even checking out some from the adult section, since they had incredible photographs. I also scoured thrift stores like Goodwill and filled his birthday and Christmas lists with Titanic books. He devoured it all, and it seemed the more he read, the more he wanted to read.
👉 Related resource: See list of books at end of post.
Step 2: Add Videos and Documentaries
Visual learning reinforced what my sons read in the books. We always started with reading first, then added videos so they already had background knowledge. And thankfully for the Titanic, there are many videos, shows and documentaries available. Some of their favorites included:
These helped to cement details and gave my boys new layers of understanding.
Step 3: Visit Museums and Exhibits
Nothing compares to seeing history come alive in person. A year after my boys learned about Titanic, we surprised them (my youngest had gotten the Titanic bug by then) with a trip to the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge. This incredible, half-scale replica of the ship features real artifacts, interactive exhibits and even an iceberg you can touch. Each visitor receives a boarding pass of an actual Titanic passenger (children only receive children who survived while adults may end up as a passenger who lived or died).
Some of their favorite exhibits were:
- Water the same temperature (28°F) as the Atlantic Ocean the night the Titanic sank to submerge your hand into
- Bandleader Wallace Hartley’s violin (with a live violinist playing “Nearer my God to Thee” in the background, the song played by the band as the Titanic sank)
- Angled platform you can stand on, representing the angles of the ship as it sank over 2 hours 40 minutes.
We also visited a touring Titanic exhibit at COSI in Ohio. My boys’ favorite find there? A commode from the Titanic!
These hands-on experiences gave them a deeper emotional connection to what they had read.
Step 4: Encourage Hands-On Learning with Models
To keep the interest alive, we invested in Titanic models. From a fun generic Lego Titanic set to a detailed scale model these projects helped my sons explore the ship in a new way. Holding a model in their hands made the details of the Titanic more real.
We even added a 3D printed model to their collections, which they proudly display in their rooms.
Final Thoughts
We’re far from perfect parents, but one thing we’ve done well is nurturing our kids’ curiosity. By leaning into their passion for the Titanic, we helped them grow as readers, thinkers and learners.
If you’re wondering how to encourage a love of reading in your own child, start with their interests—whether it’s dinosaurs, space, or the Titanic. Books are the foundation, but pairing books with real-world experiences, videos, and hands-on projects can turn reading into a lifelong adventure.
👉 What’s a subject your child has been fascinated with that you’ve used to spark their love of reading?
Books pictured:
- I Survived: The Sinking of the Titanic
- Voyage on the Great Titanic, Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, R.M.S. Titanic 1912
- Titanic: Voices from the Disaster
- A Night to Remember: The Classic Account of the Final Hours of the Titanic
- Voices of the Titanic: A Titanic Book for Kids (History Speaks!)
- I Survived: The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 (graphic novel)
- National Geographic Society: Society, Collector’s Edition
- Polar the Titanic Bear
- Titanic: Legacy of the World’s Greatest Ocean Liner
- The Titanic
- Exploring the Titanic: How the Greatest Ship Ever Lost was Found
- Titanic: The Tragedy that Shook the World
- Robert Ballard’s Titanic: Exploring the Greatest of all Lost Ships
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