# Main Idea:Sentences — Reading Comprehension Skills > Educational app for kids to improve sentence main idea comprehension. (iPhone/iPad app by Janine Toole.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/main-ideasentences/id895686005 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Janine Toole](https://appshunter.io/developer/839832427) - Category: Education, Games - Price: $6.99 - Rating: 4.30/5 from 6 App Store ratings · 13 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 12.2 · 22 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2014-08-26 - Data updated: 2026-07-23 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/main-ideasentences/id895686005/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! This 'School Edition' app has no in-app purchases. 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 - Incremental learning with unlocked levels - Frustration-free guided learning - Engaging reward center - Parental review and reporting - Over 600 examples - Timed levels for fluency ## Recent user reviews (10 of 13) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/main-ideasentences/id895686005/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Using for dyslexic homeschooler *2020-05-12* We are using this app for our 3rd grader. This is our first year homeschooling, and we're focusing on relearning basics that were never fully mastered in public schools. We have several other apps in the bundle but are going one by one through them. My student likes this app. I like the read aloud option for making the iPad read the text to him since he struggles with that area. We are seeing sequential gains in his reading comprehension. Thanks! ### 1/5 — Disappointed *2016-09-28* I always hope to leave positive reviews for a company; however, my final rating will depend on customer service. I am a 4th grade ELA teacher; I use I-Ready Reading curriculum. I purchased the $35 app bundle with my own funds hoping to use this resource for centers. Unfortunately, the 4th grade bundle is useless to me. I skipped ahead to the apps' highest levels hoping for more rigorous content. I find that this resource is far to easy, even for students who receive accommodations. I have requested an exchange or credit from the company. I would re-purchase the product at a more challenging level. **Developer response:** Now that we can reply via the app store (not possible until recently!), I just wanted to make sure that you got your refund after we gave you instructions for how to do it. Thank you for your feedback: Happy Frog Customer Care ### 5/5 — Main idea *2016-01-04* Love this app easy to use for all ages. Would recommend ### 3/5 — Great App! *2015-12-04, version 2.4* I'm a behaviour therapist and am always looking for fun apps to teach complex skills. Main Idea is toughy to teach, but this makes it fun and teaches the skill in a new way to promote generalization! I've only used the free app so far, so looking forward to seeing what the remaining levels have to offer :) ### 5/5 — Greatest app todate! *2015-11-26* I use this app with my guided reading group and the variety in the bundle keeps them motivated and interested. Thank you again and again - you've got yourself a customer for life!! ### 5/5 — Great tool for reading comprehension *2015-09-22* I am so excited about this app! This is just what my daughter needs to practice getting the main idea in reading comprehension. So much of reading practice is the phonics and fluency, but it's hard to find a good product that helps students get main ideas and comprehension. This app gives the reading material in small enough chunks to not overwhelm but asks great questions to get them thinking about the passage. Highly recommend! ### 5/5 — Helps with both reading comprehension and listening comprehension *2015-04-07* I use this with my kids during their speech therapy sessions. I use it for both reading comprehension and listening comprehension. I will read the story to them, and have them answer the questions, or have them retell the story to me, making sure they include the main idea and key details. They love doing it both ways, and I can use one app to work on 2 different skills. ### 5/5 — Happy Frogs bundle *2015-01-28* I'm a teacher and I was thrilled to come across these apps. The only problem is that I need to be able to keep paper track of my students progress. Is there any way to email each of my students results? It's great that they are recorded but not great that I have to refer to my device if I need to check their progress. If you could add this feature it would make these apps exceptional! Thanks! ### 5/5 — Another fantastic app from Janine Toole *2014-11-01* I have already written goals incorporating your apps into therapy. I love how you have broken down “Getting the Main Idea” into small steps. Students I work with struggle with this concept. Since I have been using “Main Idea 1” my students are finally “Getting IT” !!!! I would like to say I am one of your biggest fans but that would not be true. My students are your biggest fans!!! We both thank you. ### 5/5 — It genuinely teaches *2014-08-30* It may not be the best looking app in App Store, but it is definitely the most solid one. It is something I can do with my kid and sometimes he can do by himself. To be honest I am impressed and I think all of you should give it a try. ## Frequently asked questions about Main Idea ### What is Main Idea:Sentences? Main Idea:Sentences is an educational app designed to help children in grades 2-5 develop their reading comprehension by teaching them to identify the main idea of sentences. It features a game-like environment with incremental learning and rewards. ### Who is Main Idea:Sentences for? This app is primarily for children in grades 2-5 who can read but struggle with understanding what they read. Beginning readers in earlier grades and children with special needs can also benefit from its targeted skill development. ### How does Main Idea:Sentences teach reading comprehension? It builds comprehension skills step-by-step until mastery through incremental learning, where new levels are unlocked only when the child is ready. The app also offers frustration-free guidance and a reward center to motivate users. ### Does Main Idea:Sentences have ads? No, this app does not contain advertisements. It is a paid application designed for focused learning without distractions. ### What is the price of Main Idea:Sentences? The 'School Edition' of Main Idea:Sentences is priced at $6.99 and contains no in-app purchases. A free version with 4 levels is available for evaluation. ### How often is Main Idea:Sentences updated? The app was last updated on February 28, 2025, indicating regular maintenance and potential feature additions. The latest version is 2.11. ### What devices support Main Idea:Sentences? Main Idea:Sentences is supported on iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices, making it accessible to a wide range of Apple users. ### Can Main Idea:Sentences be used for multiple students? Yes, the app provides extensive reporting for up to 10 students, making it suitable for parents, teachers, and therapists managing multiple learners. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.11 — 2025-02-28 Keeping everything running smoothly! ### 2.9 — 2023-02-23 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! ### 2.7 — 2017-12-15 One bug squashed! ### 2.6 — 2017-09-26 All ready for iOS 11! ## Apps similar to Main Idea | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Readability Learn How to Read](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/readability-learn-how-to-read/id1477213383) | 4.6 (21,907) | Free | Education | | [2nd Grade Reading & Phonics](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/2nd-grade-reading-and-phonics/id6468936223) | 4.6 (807) | Free | Education | | [Articulation Test Center Hive](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/articulation-test-center-hive/id1629999616) | 4.5 (4) | Free | Education | | [Category Therapy](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/category-therapy/id571551926) | 4.8 (467) | $29.99 | Education | | [I Read: Reading Comprehension](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/i-read-reading-comprehension/id1629883809) | 4.6 (100) | Free | Education | | [Spark Reading for Kids](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spark-reading-for-kids/id739985631) | 4.6 (7,891) | Free | Education | ## 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) --- *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 2026-07-23.*