# Main Idea -Sentences — Reading Comprehension Skills

> Educational app for kids to improve reading comprehension by identifying sentence main ideas. (iPhone/iPad app by Janine Toole.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/main-idea-sentences/id895683482 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Janine Toole](https://appshunter.io/developer/839832427)
- Category: Education, Games
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 3.80/5 from 19 App Store ratings · 14 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 12.2 · 22 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2014-08-26
- Data updated: 2026-08-19
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/main-idea-sentences/id895683482/reviews.md

## What is Main Idea?

** Featured on Appolicious.com & iHeartThisApp.com **

'Main Idea -Sentences' helps kids who have trouble with reading comprehension. Identifying the main idea is a key part of reading comprehension.

'Main Idea -Sentences' builds this comprehension skill in a fun, game-like environment.  The skill is developed step-by-step until mastery. 

*** Happy Frog Apps is a Mom's Choice Award winner! ***

***** 5 Stars - Thank you for this app!  Other software I’ve used has moved too quickly for my son.  This one worked!  Can’t wait for the next Main Idea app…it’s coming, right?

***** 5 Stars  - This app is one the best education apps I have used with my little one. It really helps to improve his reading abilities. He is obsessed with passing the levels and it never let him disappointed. One of the few apps that worth to upgrade to premium version.

'Main Idea - Sentences' is designed for children in Grades 2-5 who can read the words, but don't understand what they read.  Beginning readers in earlier grades can also benefit from the targeted skill development.

'Main Idea - Sentences' develops the skill of knowing what a sentence is about.  This skill must be firmly established before a child can determine what a paragraph or page is about.


Key Benefits:

- Builds comprehension skills step-by-step until mastery. 

- Incremental learning. New levels are unlocked only when your child is ready.

- Frustration-free learning. Your child will always be guided to the correct answer.

- Fun and engaging Reward Center to increase motivation.

- Easy parental review. Just check out the stars to see how your child is doing.

- Contains over 600 examples, with content designed by professional teachers and researchers.

- Advanced levels include timers to ensure fluency. Research shows fluency in the foundation skills is critical to reading comprehension.

- Can be used independently (just hand it over: your child will know what to do!) or with a therapist/parent for reading intervention.

-  Provides extensive reporting for up to 10 students to suit the needs of parents, teachers and therapists.

Our apps are designed for and tested by typical and special needs children. Testers include children with Autism and other special needs. Our apps work for them!

To evaluate the app, download the free version, which has 4 free levels. Additional levels and additional players can be accessed with in-app purchase. If you prefer no in-app purchases, download the School Edition of this app.

While you're thinking about reading, check out our other apps that target WH questions, inferencing and answer identification skills. 

Learn more about reading comprehension and research at our website www.HappyFrogApps.com. Drop us a note, we'd love to hear from you!

We take customer service very seriously! If you ever have a problem or find that we've missed something, contact us at our website and we will do our best to fix the problem. 

We are a member of the Moms With Apps program that promotes privacy in children's apps.  We collect NO private information in our apps and our apps do not allow unrestricted web access.

## Key features

- Step-by-step skill building
- Game-like environment
- Frustration-free learning
- Reward Center for motivation
- Parental review and reporting
- Over 600 examples
- Designed by teachers and researchers

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Access All Levels | $2.99 | one-time |
| Up to 10 Users | $2.99 | one-time |
| Upgrade to 2 Users | $1.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 14)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/main-idea-sentences/id895683482/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Main idea

*2020-03-22*

It was a little hard because the words were to small it was hard but i did like the music on that app

### 5/5 — Nice App

*2019-03-18*

My kids enjoy this...

### 5/5 — Love it

*2018-02-12*

As an SLP, it works. The repetition helps with comprehension which helps with determining the main idea. The student using this relies on the visuals to see how many more and how he is doing.
Susan H.

### 3/5 — Love this app but...

*2017-05-17*

So far we love this app but it won't let me buy full access or another user.

**Developer response:** We'd love to help you with this!  Contact us via our website and we will troubleshoot the problem ASAP.  www.HappyFrogApps.com

### 1/5 — Such a bad game

*2017-03-13*

This app I would give one star because of the bad graphics and easy questions. I wanted to download it because it looked fun and the reviews looked good. I did not like the questions because they were easy. I would compare it to Vocab 7 and vocab 7 is better.

**Developer response:** Hi, we're sorry the app didn't suit your needs.  The app is designed for kids with special needs who really struggle with reading comprehension. I am glad that the app was too easy for you as it indicates that your reading skills are strong! Have a great day!

### 1/5 — Very confusing/frustrating app

*2017-01-27*

This app was not very good, the levels were way to long. I downloaded this app because of all the great 5 star reviews but 
now I don't understand how this app has those reviews. I guess this app is educational but it's not fun to use and honestly I think that some of the answers are incorrect and it frustrating when you get an answer wrong and the app freezes. Compared to other apps I downloaded this one was the worst, it wasn't fun at all and was very aggregating what with it freezing all the time. I would not recommend this app.

**Developer response:** Hi, we're sorry the app didn't meet your needs. The app is designed for kids with special needs, so it does provide very incremental progression.  Thank you for letting us know about the technical problem with the app freezing. That is new to us so we'll definitely investigate and get that sorted ASAP.

### 5/5 — Main idea sentences

*2016-09-29*

Excellent for school age kids. It is helping me in therapy a lot.

### 5/5 — Speech therapist

*2016-04-22*

This app is the perfect motivator for my students who are struggling with language. I see their progress with each use. It forces them to think.

### 4/5 — Love this app

*2016-03-06*

The student that I tutor has been struggling with finding main idea because he doesn't focus on the text. But he really wants to be right so he's working harder with this app than he ever did with me

### 5/5 — Success is possible

*2015-12-19*

The adolescent clients I work with are beginning to show progress while using this app. It is allowing them to realize that they need to find information in the text to back up their answer before "guessing," because they want to be right and move to the next level. I am looking forward to checking out a few of the other apps. Thank you Happy Frog for another great addition to my I pad library.

## Frequently asked questions about Main Idea

### What is Main Idea -Sentences?

Main Idea -Sentences is an educational app designed to help children improve their reading comprehension by teaching them how to identify the main idea of sentences. It offers a step-by-step, game-like learning experience.

### What age group is Main Idea -Sentences for?

The app is primarily designed for children in Grades 2-5 who can read but struggle with comprehension. Beginning readers in earlier grades can also benefit, and it's tested with typical and special needs children.

### How does Main Idea -Sentences teach main idea identification?

It builds comprehension skills incrementally, unlocking new levels only when the child is ready. The app guides users to correct answers and includes a Reward Center to boost motivation.

### Does Main Idea -Sentences offer progress tracking?

Yes, the app provides easy parental review through stars to show progress. It also offers extensive reporting for up to 10 students, catering to parents, teachers, and therapists.

### How many examples are in Main Idea -Sentences?

The app contains over 600 examples, with content developed by professional teachers and researchers to ensure educational effectiveness.

### Can Main Idea -Sentences be used offline?

The provided description does not specify offline functionality. However, it mentions the app can be used independently, suggesting it might be playable without a constant internet connection.

### What is the update frequency for Main Idea -Sentences?

The app was last updated on February 28, 2025, indicating active development. Specific update frequency is not detailed, but the latest version is 2.11.

### How does Main Idea -Sentences compare to other reading apps?

User reviews suggest it moves at a pace suitable for children who find other software too fast. It's praised for improving reading abilities and is considered one of the best educational apps by some users.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.11 — 2025-02-28

Keeping everything running smoothly!

### 2.10 — 2023-03-02

Updated libraries for a smoother experience.

### 2.8 — 2018-09-07

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

Under the cover upgrades. Enjoy!

### 2.6 — 2017-12-15

All ready for iOS 11!

### 2.5 — 2017-06-29

A few errors fixed!

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## More apps by Janine Toole

- [WH Expert 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wh-expert-2/id839832424)
- [Inference Ace:](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/inference-ace/id866920724)
- [Inference Clues: Lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/inference-clues-lite/id869101735)
- [Inference Ace](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/inference-ace/id875998338)
- [Inference Clues](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/inference-clues/id877775935)

All apps by Janine Toole: https://appshunter.io/developer/839832427

## Related topics

[main idea](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/main-idea) · [brainy skills main idea](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/brainy-skills-main-idea)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-19.*