# Main Idea - Short Texts: — Reading Comprehension Skills

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

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/main-idea-short-texts/id916386000 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Janine Toole](https://appshunter.io/developer/839832427)
- Category: Education, Games, Family
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 3.70/5 from 3 App Store ratings · 12 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 12.2 · 28 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2014-10-31
- Data updated: 2026-06-03
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/main-idea-short-texts/id916386000/reviews.md

## What is Main Idea?

** Happy Frog Apps are featured on FunEducationalApps.com. TeachersWithApps.com, Appolicious.com, iHeartThisApp.com **

'Main Idea-Short Text' helps kids who have trouble with reading comprehension. Identifying the main idea is a key part of reading comprehension as it allows you to figure out ‘what a text is about'.

'Main Idea -Short Texts' builds this comprehension skill step-by-step until mastery. 

Accolades for the first app in the Main Idea series...

***** 5 Stars - Thank you for this app!  Other software I’ve used has moved too quickly for my son.  This one worked! 

***** 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 - Short Texts' is targeted to children in Grades 2-5 who can read the words (decode), but don't understand what they read.  Beginning readers in earlier grades can also benefit from the targeted skill development.

The focus of 'Main Idea - Short Text' is teaching kids how to identify the main idea of a paragraph. The skill is built incrementally using visual guides.

Key Benefits:

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

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

- Errorless learning for less frustration. 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.

- 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.

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.

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!

While you're thinking about reading, check out our other apps at www.HappyFrogApps.com. 

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 collect NO private information in our app. None!  Our apps do not allow unrestricted web access.

## Key features

- Step-by-step skill building
- Errorless learning approach
- Engaging reward center
- Parental review and reporting
- Teacher and researcher-designed content
- Timed levels for fluency

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

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


## Recent user reviews (10 of 12)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/main-idea-short-texts/id916386000/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Starts well but…..

*2023-10-17*

I bought this app because the trial version (Levels 1-3) are graduated in difficulty and are so helpful for kids with language disorder.  However, once I purchased the full version I discovered that Level 5 reverts to the same difficulty level as Level 1.  This is such a shame as this app has so much potential.  I am gutted that I paid for it as it does not do what it promised.

### 1/5 — Much too simple

*2022-02-25*

For a two-sentence writing passage, several questions are asked, but all the questions have the same two choices for answers, and the same choice is the correct answer for every question.  Minimal reading comprehension is required to choose the right answer.

### 2/5 — Confusing

*2019-06-27*

We are using during summer to strengthen writing skills. But I totally disagree with a lot of these answers.  There will be one sentence shown. The answers that show as correct are not included in the sentence. They are included in the longer passage at the top. This happens often and I consider your answers incorrect. How can I use this as a learning tool when I disagree?

### 5/5 — Great app!

*2018-06-28*

I’m a speech language pathologist, and I’ve often used this app to help reinforce and practice the concept of Main Idea with my students. They especially love to earn all 3 stars!

### 2/5 — Tricky

*2017-05-05*

So many gotcha moments in this. I have this for my students, and even I can't get through a level without mistakes.  Did the text mention bacon? Well- sort of.  It was about bacon and cooking bacon but it didn't say bacon in the excerpt.  Several students have felt very disheartened by this game.  Some of the other apps by this maker are more clear, but there are many glitches.  Petty expensive for an app still in beta test mode. If an adult can't win, how is a struggling student going to feel with a whole row of xxxxxxx ?  I'm a tad frustrated

### 2/5 — I loved this app until I upgraded

*2016-05-04*

I loved this app so much that I wanted to upgrade to unlock all the levels but when I did it crashed. Now it's not working at all😕.

### 4/5 — Awesome app!

*2016-03-15*

The reason why I got this app was because I saw a friend playing it, and it looked fun. This app is good for learning main idea. One thing that was annoying with this app was it had super slow loading time. I would recommend this app to anyone who is open to the learning experience.

### 1/5 — This app is ok and needs a lot of work and has a lot of issues

*2016-01-27*

I downloaded this app thinking it would be a great app. I was proven wrong when I started using the app. I don't really like a thing about the app. I can give a lot of things that I dislike about this app. First, the text answer are always the same. No matter the answer is the same. Also, the texts should be a bit longer and harder. I would change how long the texts are and how hard they are. In my opinion this all needs a lot of work before I can give it more than one star.

### 1/5 — Wrong answers

*2015-04-14*

It counts a few correct answers as wrong nearly every set. Very frustrating!

### 5/5 — Excellent and fun

*2015-02-22, version 2.0*

I am an avid reader and wished we had this as a kid. A must for every parent! Worth every penny!

## Frequently asked questions about Main Idea

### What is the main focus of Main Idea?

Main Idea focuses on teaching children how to identify the main idea of a paragraph. This skill is crucial for overall reading comprehension and is built incrementally using visual guides and errorless learning.

### What age group is Main Idea designed for?

The app is targeted towards children in Grades 2-5 who can read but struggle with understanding what they read. Beginning readers in earlier grades can also benefit.

### How does Main Idea ensure learning is effective?

It employs a step-by-step, incremental learning approach where new levels are unlocked only when the child is ready. The errorless learning method ensures children are always guided to the correct answer, reducing frustration.

### Can parents track their child's progress with Main Idea?

Yes, the app offers easy parental review through a Reward Center and provides extensive reporting for up to 10 students. This allows parents, teachers, and therapists to monitor progress effectively.

### Does Main Idea have ads?

No, Main Idea does not contain advertisements. The app is free to download with optional in-app purchases for additional content.

### What are the advanced features in Main Idea?

Advanced levels in Main Idea include timers to help ensure reading fluency. Research indicates that fluency in foundational reading skills is critical for strong reading comprehension.

### Is Main Idea suitable for children with special needs?

Yes, the app is designed and tested by typical and special needs children, including those with Autism. It is designed to work effectively for them.

### How can I access more content in Main Idea?

The free version of Main Idea includes 4 free levels. Additional levels and players can be accessed through in-app purchases. For an ad-free experience without in-app purchases, consider the School Edition.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.4 — 2025-02-28

Keeping everything running smoothly!

### 2.3 — 2022-01-27

Updated libraries for a smoother experience.

### 2.2 — 2017-06-29

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

Minor tweaks!

### 2.1 — 2015-09-22

Oops. Some users didn't realize that a sentence could be about more than one thing!  We've made this clearer so that you don't think we are marking you incorrectly!

### 2.0 — 2015-01-15

You asked, we delivered!  

In this version we introduce a new student management system. Detailed reports show student progress. You can add up to 10 students.

We have also changed the look of the app to appeal to a wider age range. No more worrying about showing your older student a 'kiddy' app.

What's the same?  High quality incremental learning to help your learners improve their reading comprehension skills!  Get started now

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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)
- [Main Idea -Sentences](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/main-idea-sentences/id895683482)

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

## Related topics

[main idea](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/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 2026-06-03.*