Digital + Physical Learning that Feels like Play, Backed by 50 Years of Science

How we combined MIT research, Montessori wisdom, and cutting-edge computer vision to create learning that feels like play

Remember watching your toddler learn about the world by touching everything? That instinct doesn't disappear when they start school—it's actually a powerful learning mechanism that neuroscientists are just beginning to fully understand. As parents, we intuitively know that children learn best through play and exploration. Now, groundbreaking research reveals exactly why combining physical manipulation with digital feedback creates the perfect storm for deep, lasting learning.

If your child loves building, sorting, and making patterns at the kitchen table, you're already witnessing one of the strongest drivers of early learning in action. Bemo brings that "make-and-move" magic together with gentle computer vision—so your child plays with tangram pieces, letter tiles, or number blocks while our technology tracks progress, offers just-right hints, and gives you clear insights into their learning journey.

The Neuroscience Every Parent Should Know

When your child manipulates physical objects—whether building with blocks, arranging letter tiles, or solving tangram puzzles—their brain literally changes. Physical activity increases production of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), often called "Miracle Gro for the brain." This protein supports brain cell survival and strengthens the synaptic connections critical for learning and memory formation.

But here's what makes physical-digital tools like Bemo revolutionary: they activate multiple learning pathways simultaneously. Research on embodied cognition shows children learn more deeply when they manipulate real objects, gesture, and move—because the body actually helps the mind organize ideas (Wellsby & Pexman, 2014; Castro-Alonso et al., 2024). While your child's hands manipulate real tangram pieces or letter tiles, their visual system processes digital feedback, their auditory system receives encouragement, and their kinesthetic sense engages through movement.

This multi-modal activation creates what researchers call "multiple neural pathways"—essentially giving your child's brain several routes to understanding instead of just one. A comprehensive meta-analysis of 1,812 children found that story experiences combining physical manipulation with digital elements outperformed traditional books on both comprehension and vocabulary measures (Furenes, Kucirkova, and Bus, 2021).

Perhaps most remarkably, when children manipulate physical objects, they experience "cognitive offloading"—the physical pieces free up their working memory for higher-order thinking while the digital layer provides just-right challenges and immediate feedback. It's like having a personal tutor who knows exactly when to step in and when to let discovery happen.

The Research That Changed Everything

The numbers tell a compelling story across multiple studies:

Vocabulary and Language Development:

When researchers at a Missouri elementary school compared children using physical-digital word tiles to those using traditional worksheets, the physical-digital group showed 40% higher vocabulary growth (Missouri ELL Study, 2020)
Northwestern University's TIDAL Laboratory, which originally developed the tangible programming concepts behind tools like Osmo Coding, found that children could learn coding through physical blocks before they even developed literacy or typing skills (Hu, Zekelman, Horn, & Judd, 2015)

Engagement and Motivation:

At the University of Dayton, 100% of preschoolers who used physical-digital learning tools wanted to continue using them and actively sought collaboration with peers—turning learning into the social, joyful experience it should be (Alnfisah, 2024)
In the University of Southern Mississippi Osmo Tangram Study (2018), researchers found that boys showed "observably less distraction" and all students demonstrated higher engagement compared to traditional tangrams
During COVID-19, 20,000+ children voluntarily completed 3.5+ million math problems through physical-digital tools—showing that when learning feels like play, children choose to engage (Yi et al., 2022)

Spatial and Mathematical Skills:

An AR geometry study with 30 preschoolers found the physical-digital group had significantly higher geometry skill scores and wanted to "do activities continuously" even after class ended (Eryiğit et al., 2025)
Gecü-Parmaksız & Delialioğlu's study of 72 children (ages 5-6) showed statistically significant improvement in spatial skills for the AR group over physical-only manipulation after just 4 weeks (British Journal of Educational Technology, 2019)

Deep Learning and Persistence:

Thompson's groundbreaking Oklahoma State dissertation (2016)—the first academic research on multimodal physical-digital systems—found increased experimentation with geometric shapes, greater persistence on difficult puzzles, and more flexible thinking
A meta-analysis of 134 experimental AR studies (2012-2021) found that these tools have larger positive effects on performance than on knowledge/skills alone, with treatment duration being critical for effectiveness (Garzón and Acevedo, 2022)

Why Montessori Parents and Homeschoolers Are Embracing This Approach

This research validates what Maria Montessori discovered over a century ago: children need to touch to learn. The theoretical foundations are rock-solid:

Piaget's Concrete Operational Stage (Ages 7-11): Children literally cannot understand abstract concepts without first experiencing them physically. They need active, practical experiences to develop reversibility, conservation, classification, and seriation skills.

Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development: Physical-digital tools facilitate peer scaffolding and provide support at exactly the right level—that sweet spot where children are challenged but not frustrated.

Van Hiele's Model of Geometric Understanding: Physical manipulation is essential for progressing through the five levels of geometric thinking, from simple recognition to abstract reasoning. Tangrams and shape play accelerate this growth naturally.

Dual Representation Theory: Physical tiles serve simultaneously as concrete objects children can hold AND abstract mathematical symbols—a bridging function unique to physical-digital interfaces.

Research by Laski and colleagues (2015) found that manipulatives require a full school year of exposure for moderate effect sizes, with four critical principles for success:

Perceptual focus on relevant features
Explicit connection-making between representations
Progressive abstraction from concrete to abstract
Multi-modal representations

Bemo embodies all four principles, making sustained, effective learning accessible at home or in the classroom.

The Bemo Difference: Where Play Meets Purpose

Bemo bridges the gap between timeless educational principles and modern technology. Your child experiences the irreplaceable benefits of physical manipulation—improved fine motor skills, spatial reasoning, and that satisfying tactile feedback—while our computer vision technology tracks progress, provides encouragement at just the right moments, and gives you detailed insights into your child's learning journey.

Whether your child is:

Arranging tangram pieces to build spatial awareness
Manipulating letter tiles to crack the reading code
Exploring number relationships through physical play
Creating patterns and sequences with colorful blocks

They're engaging in what researchers call "embodied cognition"—learning that involves the whole child, not just their eyes on a screen. Teachers report students are "more excited about reading" and show higher motivation with physical-digital tools, with one noting these tools "made it come to life" (Pan et al., 2021).

Making the Science-Backed Choice

In a world of endless educational apps and screen-based learning, the research is crystal clear: physical manipulation combined with digital feedback creates superior learning outcomes. From medical students at UCSF finding AR objects comparable to real cadavers for learning (2020) to 308 students reporting enhanced experiential learning through mixed reality (β = 0.387, 2023), the evidence spans age groups and subjects.

As parents, we want learning that honors how our children's brains actually work—not despite their need to touch and move, but because of it. Bemo transforms the natural way children explore their world into structured, measurable learning that feels like pure play.

Ready to Give Your Child the Learning Advantage They Deserve?

Join thousands of parents who are choosing science-backed, hands-on learning that grows with their child. Because when learning feels like play, everyone wins.

References:

Alnfisah, Z. (2024). Supporting Preschoolers' Alphabet Knowledge: A Study of a Physical-Digital Educational Game. University of Dayton Thesis.

Castro-Alonso, J. C., et al. (2024). Embodied learning: Six research avenues. Educational Psychology Review.

Eryiğit, M., et al. (2025). AR geometry in preschool learning. Journal of Educational Technology.

Furenes, M. I., Kucirkova, N., & Bus, A. G. (2021). A comparison of children's reading on paper versus screen: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 91(4), 483-517.

Garzón, J., & Acevedo, J. (2022). Meta-analysis of the impact of Augmented Reality on students' learning gains. Educational Research Review.

Gecü-Parmaksız, Z., & Delialioğlu, Ö. (2019). Augmented reality‐based virtual manipulatives versus physical manipulatives for teaching geometric shapes to preschool children. British Journal of Educational Technology, 50(6), 3376-3390.

Hu, F., Zekelman, A., Horn, M., & Judd, F. (2015). Strawbies: Explorations in tangible programming. Proceedings of IDC 2015.

Laski, E. V., et al. (2015). What makes mathematics manipulatives effective? Lessons from cognitive science and Montessori education. SAGE Open, 5(2).

Missouri ELL Teacher. (2020). Vocabulary Growth in English Language Learners Using Physical-Digital Tools. Master's Thesis.

Pan, Z., López, M. F., Li, C., & Liu, M. (2021). Introducing augmented reality in early childhood literacy learning. Research in Learning Technology, 29.

Thompson, J. (2016). Multimodal Learning Systems in Elementary Mathematics. Oklahoma State University Dissertation.

University of Southern Mississippi. (2018). Engagement with Osmo Tangram. Journal of Educational Technology & Development Exchange.

Wellsby, M., & Pexman, P. M. (2014). Developing embodied cognition: Insights from children's concepts and language processing. Frontiers in Psychology.

Yi, S., et al. (2022). Osmo Math Wizard engagement during COVID-19. EdTech Research Quarterly.