NSF-funded ThinkPlayful™ Mobile App Expands for School Use
Saint Louis, November 2025 – The goal of ThinkPlayful™ is to promote joyful, trusted educational experiences between young children (ages 3 to 6) and their parents and caregivers, with a specific focus on developing positive early math attitudes and promoting family bonding. The app, available on smartphones and tablets, is available free to all families and early childhood organizations.
With highly positive results of an independent research study of the ThinkPlayful™ app under its belt, the company behind ThinkPlayful™ is now making available an accompanying portal for schools by invitation only.
Significant Independent Study Results
The results of the randomized controlled trial, released earlier this fall, showed that participants that engaged with the app reported significantly greater closeness with their children and lower parental math anxiety compared to those that had no access to the app. Participating parents described ThinkPlayful™ as a valuable tool for creating fun and connected learning moments with their children. Many parents noted that the app helped them discover new ways to bond with their child through shared, creative play. Others said they appreciated how the app encouraged their child to engage more with math-related tasks.
“We were especially happy to hear the comments from parents that their children are excited about things like measuring and other math-related play.”
— Tyler Schwartz, CEO and Co-Founder
“We are thrilled with the results of WestEd’s study,” said Tyler Schwartz, CEO and Co-Founder. “These results strongly validate our guided play approach – we know that when parents and children are able to play together, that is the gold standard for helping kids learn. We were especially happy to hear the comments from parents that their children are excited about things like measuring and other math-related play.”
The research and development for the ThinkPlayful™ app were conducted over a three-year period with grants from the National Science Foundation’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. MathBRIX, a St. Louis startup, produced the ThinkPlayful™ app technology and activities. WestEd, an independent research organization with headquarters in California, led the research effort.
Critical Need for ThinkPlayful™
Dr. Elizabeth Schwartz, Founder, said that the impetus for the research project was a critical need. Early experiences with math are closely linked to later achievement in more than just math.
“The fact that by third grade, approximately 60% of the nation’s children are not on grade level in math and unfortunately, never catch up. Multiple studies show that to meet expectations, foundational skills must be developed early,” she said.
Margo Heger Smith, Director of Education, said ThinkPlayful™ is designed around the science behind early brain development. Its guided play methodology prompts language rich and positive parent-child interaction during games and is built to extend to everyday life after playing as well. Smith said the team hopes to build on the study results by expanding the app and the app’s reach -- supporting more families and schools with what works for learning in the early years.
“Early educators know from decades of research that back-and-forth communication and interaction is how brains are built,” Smith said. “Unlike traditional, solo-use apps, ThinkPlayful is not passive screen time. Instead ThinkPlayful is built to create those real-world opportunities that literally wire young brains for learning.”
To download the free app, visit https://www.thinkplayful.com/download or search for “ThinkPlayful” on the app stores.
About the National Science Foundation's Small Business Programs
America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF awards $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $2 million in funding to support research and development (R&D), helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America’s Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $8.5 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering.
Company Description
MathBRIX LLC received $1.5M in National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants to develop the ThinkPlayful™ digital learning application. The company also received the NSF’s Technology Enhancement for Commercial Partnerships ($200K) award to develop technology needed to establish a viable commercial partnership with Highlights for Children. The startup is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and was founded by former school administrator, Dr. Elizabeth Schwartz, and Tyler Schwartz, a developer of multiple EdTech apps.
