In today’s fast paced world, technology & gadgets with unmatched high-definition visuals & animations enchant children with the virtual world. With the gaining popularity of Kindle, IPad, Netflix & YouTube, there has been an alarming dip in the time children spend on reading a book, only making them a ‘couch potato’. We have grown up reading comic strips like Tinkle or some classics like The Famous Five that our uncle or aunt bought us every summer they visited us. But, ironically things have changed today. Books as gifts for children are unheard of. It is more about Wii and a Smart Watch.   Ironically, peer pressure & the desire to be ‘in the swim’ that many kids enroll in multiple classes like dance, art & craft, music or swimming, leaving them little or no time to enjoy reading good books; that we all loved reading over and over again during our good old times. Although, I had never been an avid reader, but I always enjoyed reading books & comics on weekends. I was always fond of playing indoors & outdoors. And to be brutally honest, I didn’t understand the importance of reading until high school & entrance exams where good vocabulary comes to your advantage while appearing for entrance & competitive exams like CAT & GMAT.   So, how do you choose the right age-appropriate books for your kids from the vast collection at a store or even pick one online by just reading reviews online? Most often e-commerce platforms recommend the latest ‘popular’ categories (that possibly offer a higher margin) than suggesting the best reads for your kid. Recommendations from friends & peers help, but, in this digital era where smartphones & technology dominate our lives, the perishing fascination for books, leaves us with fewer alternatives. And, that is where Enchantico steps in to bridge the gap. Clubbing books with activities, it’s a winning combination to keep the kids glued to constructive engagement.   Concerned by the over-exposure of gadgets & saving the endangered species of “child book-readers” (pun intended), Ravi Subramanian, Sangram Surve and Shalini Bajaj joined hands to create India’s first ever Book Subscription Box called Enchantico in 2016. Why is it called a “Book” subscription box? You will find out soon. The market is flooded with activity based boxes & toys for kids. So how is Enchantico different? This is how enchantico aims to groom kids through a reading revolution.  What Is Enchantico: It is a monthly subscription box for children between the age group of 5-12 years with -

• Books - At least 2 Books carefully handpicked from the latest releases of Top 15 National & International Publishers introducing their latest releases which are a “must-read”. The box comes along with ‘Author cards’ to establish an instant connect with the author & the book.
• Activities for kids – Let’s admit it - Children get bored easily. To keep them engaged & to grab some (much deserved & desired) “ME-TIME”, we often we take refuge to smartphones & video games – A common confession of an exhausted mom. Activities are a great way of skill development (cognitive & fine-motor) & keeping them engrossed. Engaging in these activities, employ both the left & right sides of the brain because they require logical, creative or mathematical skills to complete a particular task.
• Collectibles – Interesting collectibles like a personalized mug, a badge or a diary to pen down anything that interests them. They can also make a glossary of the new words they learn every month by reading the book & find out the meaning using a dictionary. This is a great way to build a good vocabulary.
• Information Sheet: It gives bite sized details on each item in the box. From introducing the theme, outlining the concept, to detailing out interesting things – all that will generate curiosity in the mind of the child, is beautifully curated.

  How Enchantico Entices Your Kid Who does not like surprises?  The whole idea of opening a trinket box excited to discover “what’s in store for me?” is enticing. Enchantico adopts a particular concept every month & innovatively tunes it’s contents to go with the theme. This one gifted to my niece on her 10^th Birthday revolved around travel & mystery (Find Image Below)

• 2 interesting novels – The Djinn Detective Agency by Parinita Shetty & Ms. Rapscotts Girls by Elise Primavera
• A diary to compile what they have loved & learnt
• 2 sketch/marker pens for the activities
• ‘Travel around the globe’ activity picture sheets that your child can colour. Like The Taj Mahal in India or The Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. It is also an interesting way of introducing the important global landmarks to the child. Your child can also place stickers on the pictures to say where they would like to travel & why. So you know where to plan your next family holiday J
• A badge to officially welcome you to the “Enchantico Club of Readers”. Love it? Flaunt it!

What We Love About Enchantico:

• Designed to perfection, the bright colours & packaging make it the ideal for your child’s new found love (and more importantly, a long-lasting one)
• The best-in-class books by Indian & International authors are introduced to your child every month
• The activities sheets are light-weight & easy-fit to your handbags that you may carry whenever you are stepping out for family dinners or travelling
• They make for great gifting ideas for children between 5-12 years.
• Lubaina Bandukwala, the literature curator works in tandem with the creative team offer books from some of the best publishers like Harper Collins, Penguin Random House, Pan Macmillan, Westland, Duckbill Books, Little Latitude and FunOkPlease.

How to ‘Enchant’ your child? You can visit www.enchantico.in & choose between 3 months at Rs.2999 / 6 months at Rs.5499 / 12 months at Rs.9999 subscription plan that fall under 4 different age categories (5-6 years / 7-8y ears / 9-10 years / 11-12 years). They also have a highly responsive live chat to guide you through a seamless subscription process.