A new study from New York-based PlayCollective has found that young children who played with Tiggly’s new interactive learning toy (Tiggly Counts), and its line of math-based apps, were able to improve their early number skills by as much as 71% in the span of just two weeks.

The study examined the learning and engagement outcomes for kids ages four and five, using Tiggly’s products which include interactive toys and apps that let kids combine physical play with iPad use.

Along with a 71% increase in early number skills for kids who used both Tiggly’s math-based apps (Chef, Addventure, Cardtoons) and its Tiggly Counts learning toy, overall math skills saw a 21% improvement in two weeks.

Kids who used Tiggly Counts showed greater engagement in learning with the apps. The majority of parents reported their child found the apps exciting and fun, spending extended periods of time playing, clocking more than 20 minutes per session with the Tiggly Chef app.

The findings suggest that linking apps with physical play can give learning games the tactile dimension that kids crave, allowing them to be more engaged with educational games.

Tiggly was founded in 2012 by Phyl Georgiou, Bart Claremen (both Harvard Business School MBA grads) and Dr. Azadeh (Azi) Jamalian (associate adjunct professor of cognitive studies in education at Columbia University’s Teachers College). The New York-based company released its first physical toys and learning apps under the Tiggly name in 2013.

The PlayCollective study focused on children’s basic math skills, examining knowledge and application of math concepts. Research was conducted through two rounds of individual sessions with 47 children in the metro New York City and Washington, DC areas.