Social studies in Year 2: what Lärkompis practises
In Year 2 of Swedish school (around age 8), Lärkompis practises 21 skills in social studies (geography, history, religion and civics), linked to 100 of 100 items in the core content of Lgr22, the Swedish national curriculum, for Years 1–3. The areas are life in the world, life in the local area, exploring reality and life together. Each skill has five difficulty levels, and the skills are practised in 4 mini-games, including Kunskapsjakten (Knowledge Hunt), Labbet (The Lab) and Tidslinjen (The Timeline).
Lgr22 sets out core content for each stage (Years 1–3), not for each year. So Lärkompis spreads the skills across the years using its own time windows, and these are estimates. For Year 2, this means that 12 skills start this year and 9 skills started earlier and are still being practised. The figure 100 of 100 counts the items in the core content from Skolverket (the Swedish National Agency for Education) that at least one skill links to; it does not mean the whole item is covered.
What Lärkompis practises in Year 2
The 21 skills in social studies in Year 2 are grouped into 4 areas following Skolverket's syllabus. Under each skill you can see the first and the last difficulty level, so you know how far the exercises go.
Life in the world
- The world’s oceans and the Nordic countries Level 1: Questions with at most three clearly different options. Level 5: Match four question–answer pairs, plus mixed yes/no questions.
- Land, water and climate as conditions for where people live Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- The continents, the oceans and the Nordic region Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- Human origins, hunter-gatherers, farming and the prehistory of the Nordic region Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- Stories from the Bible and symbols in Christianity, Judaism and Islam Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- Religious festivals in Christianity, Judaism and Islam Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
- Stories from Greek, Roman and Norse mythology and from Sami religion Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- Human rights, equal worth and the Convention on the Rights of the Child Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- Democratic principles: freedom of expression, freedom of opinion and majority rule Level 1: Two proposals: see which one wins. Level 5: A majority with three proposals, and matching four pairs.
- Environmental questions in everyday life: sorting waste, energy, traffic and food Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- What money is used for and what it is worth, ways to pay and what things cost Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
Life in the local area
- Natural and cultural landscapes in the local area, and traces of the Ice Age Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- The history of the local area, objects from the past and the role of Christianity in schools in the past Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- Ambulance, fire and rescue services and the police (already starts in Year 1) Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
- Jobs, businesses and public services in the local area (already starts in Year 1) Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
Exploring reality
- Globes, maps, compass directions and mental maps (already starts in Year 1) Level 1: Go one way on the map, with three places. Level 5: Two directions, and ordering from smallest to largest.
- Compass points and simple maps Level 1: Grid map, two places in the same row or column. Level 5: Rotated map, distances at different scales and a map key.
- Ways to search for information, how reliable sources are, and news in the media Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- Time words and timelines Level 1: Choose from three options. Level 5: Mixed, in all formats.
Life together
- Migration within a country and between countries: causes and effects Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- Norms and rules, moral questions and questions about life, and traffic rules (already starts in Year 1) Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
What the syllabus says, in short
The Lgr22 core content for Years 1–3 in social studies, summarised in our own words for the parts Lärkompis practises in Year 2. Read the full text in Skolverket's English translation of Lgr22.
- Talking about rules, norms and moral questions, for example friendship and fairness, at school and online.
- People’s lives in the past, for example as shown in children’s books, songs and films.
- Moving within and between countries, and the reasons people might have.
- The local area: what it looks like and how it has changed.
- The world, maps, festivals and religious traditions.
- Exploring the real world with simple maps, sources and questions.
How to help at home with social studies in Year 2
In Year 2, what your child learnt in Year 1 should become secure enough to use without support. Ask your child to explain how they thought: the explanation tells you more than the right answer, and it makes a good conversation at the dinner table. Follow a news story or a topic for a week and ask “why did it happen, and what happens next?”. Ask your child to show where they read something and why they trust the source.
- Pause when things boil over. Nobody learns anything in the heat of the moment. Say “let’s take a break: water and five minutes”. Come back with a smaller piece. Your relationship is worth more than the homework. When it is hard going: about 5 minutes.
- Offer choices within limits. Ask “do you want to do your homework before or after your snack?” instead of “sit down now”. Choices within limits strengthen a sense of control without the rules disappearing. As a conversation: about 5 minutes.
- Write to the teacher when homework isn’t working. If homework often takes an unreasonably long time, ends in tears or can’t be done without you, write a few lines about what happened. The school needs that information to be able to adapt. When it is hard going: about 5 minutes.
- Talk maths and language in everyday life. Count kronor in the shop, measure in the kitchen, read signs and talk about the time of day. Short, cheerful moments in everyday life seem to help more than taking over the homework, especially if you feel unsure about maths yourself. Works in everyday life: about 10 minutes.
How you can tell it has clicked in Year 2
- The continents, the oceans and the Nordic region: Your child knows which countries are Sweden’s Nordic neighbours.
- The history of the local area, objects from the past and the role of Christianity in schools in the past: Your child knows that in the past the priest visited homes to test people’s reading and knowledge of Christianity.
- Stories from the Bible and symbols in Christianity, Judaism and Islam: Your child can retell the story of Noah’s Ark or the Good Samaritan.
- Religious festivals in Christianity, Judaism and Islam: Your child can name a religious festival in Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
Common pitfalls in Year 2
- Stories from the Bible and symbols in Christianity, Judaism and Islam: Thinks all religions have the same symbol.
- Religious festivals in Christianity, Judaism and Islam: Thinks everyone celebrates the same festivals.
- Human rights, equal worth and the Convention on the Rights of the Child: Confuses rights with wishes, such as getting a mobile phone.
- Democratic principles: freedom of expression, freedom of opinion and majority rule: Thinks the most votes always means more than half.
If social studies practice in Year 2 often ends in tears or takes far too long, stop for the day and write a few lines to the teacher about what was hard. That is useful information for the school, not a failure.
Games that practise it
In Year 2 social studies, Lärkompis uses 4 mini-games. In these games, playing is the practice, so your child learns while they play. There are no points or streaks, and no ads.
Kunskapsjakten (Knowledge Hunt)
A quiz show in a TV studio, where Vera leads the questions up a ladder. There are lifelines but no points: the ladder fills up with the questions your child has worked through. In Year 2, the game practises 21 skills: the world’s oceans and the Nordic countries; natural and cultural landscapes in the local area, and traces of the Ice Age; globes, maps, compass directions and mental maps; compass points and simple maps; and more.
Labbet (The Lab)
Guess first, then find out. The tasks are based on checked facts. In Year 2, the game practises 20 skills: the world’s oceans and the Nordic countries; natural and cultural landscapes in the local area, and traces of the Ice Age; globes, maps, compass directions and mental maps; land, water and climate as conditions for where people live; and more.
Tidslinjen (The Timeline)
Your child puts cards on a line in the right order, for example events, steps or numbers. A card in the right place turns over and shows the answer. In Year 2, the game practises 5 skills: globes, maps, compass directions and mental maps; human origins, hunter-gatherers, farming and the prehistory of the Nordic region; the history of the local area, objects from the past and the role of Christianity in schools in the past; what money is used for and what it is worth, ways to pay and what things cost; and more.
Kartjakten (Map Hunt)
A made-up island with a compass rose, a map key and a scale bar: the map is the task. In Year 2, the game practises 1 skill: compass points and simple maps.
Questions about social studies in Year 2
What does Lärkompis practise in social studies in Year 2?
Lärkompis has 21 skills in social studies in Year 2, for example “The world’s oceans and the Nordic countries”; “Natural and cultural landscapes in the local area, and traces of the Ice Age”; “Globes, maps, compass directions and mental maps”; “Compass points and simple maps”; and “Land, water and climate as conditions for where people live”. Each skill has five levels. In “The world’s oceans and the Nordic countries”, for example, level 1 is “Questions with at most three clearly different options” and level 5 is “Match four question–answer pairs, plus mixed yes/no questions”. The app adjusts the level to how your child is doing.
What comes after Year 2 in social studies?
In Year 3, Lärkompis practises 16 skills in social studies, and new that year are “The world’s oceans and the Nordic countries”; “Natural and cultural landscapes in the local area, and traces of the Ice Age”; and “Human origins, hunter-gatherers, farming and the prehistory of the Nordic region”. Most of it builds on what your child practised in Year 2.
Which mistakes are common in social studies in Year 2?
Common mistakes that Lärkompis covers include “Thinks all religions have the same symbol” in “Stories from the Bible and symbols in Christianity, Judaism and Islam” and “Thinks everyone celebrates the same festivals” in “Religious festivals in Christianity, Judaism and Islam”. When an answer is wrong, the app shows how to think it through instead of just marking it wrong, and the parent panel shows what your child is practising right now.
Does Lärkompis follow Lgr22 in social studies in Year 2?
Yes. Every exercise in social studies in Year 2 is linked to an item in the Lgr22 core content for Years 1–3; 100 of 100 items in social studies (geography, history, religion and civics) have at least one linked skill. Lärkompis is a complement at home and does not replace teaching.
How much does it cost to practise social studies in Year 2 with Lärkompis?
Lärkompis costs SEK 49, once, for all subjects and every child in the family, with future updates included. You can try social studies in Year 2 for free first, without an account.
More years and subjects
The same year in other subjects:
