{"id":405,"date":"2025-09-28T15:44:35","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T20:44:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/readersgottaread.com\/?p=405"},"modified":"2025-09-28T15:44:35","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T20:44:35","slug":"how-reading-turned-my-sons-into-titaniacs-encouraging-a-love-of-reading-in-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/readersgottaread.com\/?p=405","title":{"rendered":"How Reading Turned My Sons into Titaniacs: Encouraging a Love of Reading in Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Many parents wonder how to encourage a love of reading in their kids \u2013 especially if they\u2019re reluctant readers. I\u2019ve written about raising a reluctant reader (see post here<\/a>), but what if your child already likes reading? How do you deepen that passion and turn it into a lifelong love of learning?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our family, the answer came unexpectedly \u2013 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Step 1: Start with Books<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\ud83d\udc49 Related resource: See list of books at end of post.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2: Add<\/strong> <\/em>Videos and Documentaries<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n