Tiggly Math

By Kidtellect, Inc.
Price $29.95
Age 3-6 yrs.

Tiggly Math brilliantly combines physical and digital play. It's an iPad math toy for children age 3 and up. It consists of five unique, colorful counting rods and comes with three free learning apps. Kids interact with the apps by placing the counting rods on the iPad screen. Each counting rod has a given color and numeric value - 1 through 5 - represented by the number of ovals cut into its length. With Tiggly Chef, the app we tried out, kids learn numbers, counting, and early addition concepts by helping a jovial mustachioed chef (with a pleasant French accent) prepare dishes with silly names like Blunderbusting Monkey Cake. By following Chef's directions, kids are introduced to math symbols and concepts as they add required quantities of various ingredients to the pan by placing various combinations of counting rods on the screen. Children find the the vividly playful graphics and interactivity of the app highly engaging. The physical element brought about by the counting rods greatly enhances that connection - and the learning that comes with it.