Subscription boxes are plenty in the market- all aiming to entertain your kids and keep them off screen time. But somehow in reality, they really haven’t helped much in keeping my young one’s interests sustained for a long time. More often than not, I complete the activities my kid started and left midway! Books, to the rescue, then ‘coz they say, nothing engages a young mind as much as the presence of good books around them. As a parent of a budding reader, I ensure I do everything to make sure my child is surrounded by books. Starting from early readers to even certain books that are slightly beyond her age, I purchase or order from the online libraries to make sure, she falls in love with the mere scent of paper (like me!).Parents often ask us on books their kids should read and that is more often determined by the parent and the books they you grew up reading which may or may not be age appropriate now. Kids these days require more from books. Not only should it provide them valuable reading time, but it should also engage their busy minds with activities relating to the book after it is read. As I sat scratching my head to find answers to all the above questions, I was enchanted by Enchantico.
What is Enchantico?
Enchantico is a subscription box programme exclusively for kids. It works in the same way as activity and snack boxes for kids- a new box every month with whole new content!
Brains behind Enchantico:
We live in a world where the big old book stores are fast shrinking and everything is available to us with the click of a button. The best way to connect readers to their books is by bringing books to the readers rather than the other way round- this was the mantra followed by the brains behind Enchantico. Co-founder and Chief Advisor Ravi Subramanian, who is also one of India’s best-selling writers always felt the need for children to explore more and discover the hidden joys of reading. He got in touch with Sangram Surve (Co-founder and Chief Contagion Agent) – whose entrepreneurial journey spans across training, advertising, events, film production and now children’s publishing – during a Litfest two years ago and got the idea rolling for Enchantico.  Shalini Bajaj, Co-founder and Chief Delight Officer is in-charge of all the lovely things that go into the subscription box to wow the kids. She works with literature curator Lubaina Bandukwala and other publishers, game designers and the creative team of Think WhyNot to give children the best every month.
Why subscription box for kids?
The team of Enchantico believes in the adage- “Readers will be leaders“. They feel that most parents don’t need to be convinced, that books are great for their kids. The problem for them however is a problem of plenty and also scarcity. Plenty because there are just too many books to be selected from. And scarcity because not enough knowledge is available about where to find them. Also, somewhere around all the hype and online business, the best authors and international ones are missed out and remain undiscovered for the children. Enchantico aims to resolve the discoverability issue. They bring home to your kid some of the best publishers such as Harper Collins, Penguin Random House, Pan Macmillan, Westland, Duckbill Books, Little Latitude and FunOkPlease.
What’s in the box?
Every box contains 2 books, collectibles, activities, author cards (explaining about the authors to parents and children) and an activity sheet as a guide. In case one of the months, you receive a book that you already possess, relax. You can inform them and Enchantico will be happy to replace it. The team consists of all parents, so they know exactly how you feel!
Subscription plans:
The 3 month subscription is for 2999 plus shipping charges, 6 months is at 5499 plus shipping charges and 12 months is at 9999 plus shipping charges.
How to order?
Log on to their website and then fill in a few details and select your child’s age group: 5-6 / 7-8 / 9-10 / 11-12 years, to a tenure of your choice: 3 months/ 6 months or a year. You can also provide more details about your child and their reading preferences to get customized merchandise in the subscription box.
What we love:
- The concept is a welcome move. Amidst activity and snack boxes trying hard to engage and please children, an interesting initiative to sustain the love for books is appreciated.
- The contents of the subscription box and the packaging style gets a thumbs up. It creates curiosity and interest in young minds and it is a win-win situation for parents and kids.
- Bringing and introducing famous local and international authors right to your doorstep is something every parent will like.
- Each box has a theme and it’s fun to see the reflection diary which comes with each box that children can use to share their ideas, titles,exercises that you can do with them if you have read the book.
- Its the perfect gift box I would love to give out so if you are looking at doing that, add it to your wishlist now!
What we are waiting for:
- The team is all kicked about the venture and soon plans to start a digital community of book nuts (to engage and share ideas), a school contact program to make students  meet their favourite authors and also a Litfest for kids. And we can’t wait!
- It would be helpful if the subscription boxes are available for slightly younger kids (3-5 years) as well- because
- What I would have loved to see is more recommendations on a specific topic/genre theme, so if the child takes fancy for a particular series/genre, the parents can go ahead and order a few more.
You may also like:Â 75 books every child must read ( Indian authors included)
Contact details:
Website:Â Enchantico
Facebook:Â Enchantico
Twitter:Â Enchantico
Instagram:Â Enchantico
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Mansi Zaveri
Kanishka Pariani
Shreeya
Parul Gupta
