Social studies in Year 3: what Lärkompis practises
In Year 3 of Swedish school (around age 9), Lärkompis practises 16 skills in social studies (geography, history, religion and civics), linked to 66 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 3, this means that 5 skills start this year and 11 skills started earlier and are still being practised. The figure 66 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 3
The 16 skills in social studies in Year 3 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 (already starts in Year 2) 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 (already starts in Year 2) 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 (already starts in Year 2) 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 (already starts in Year 2) 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 (already starts in Year 2) 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 (already starts in Year 2) Level 1: Two proposals: see which one wins. Level 5: A majority with three proposals, and matching four pairs.
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 (already starts in Year 2) 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.
Exploring reality
- Compass points and simple maps (already starts in Year 2) 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 (already starts in Year 2) Level 1: Choose from at most three answers. Level 5: Match four pairs, plus ordering tasks with more steps.
- Time words and timelines (already starts in Year 2) 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.
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 3. Read the full text in Skolverket's English translation of Lgr22.
- 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 3
Year 3 is the last year of the first stage (Years 1–3). Schools use national tests in maths and Swedish in Year 3 to support the assessment against the criteria, and no grades are given. Before the tests, sleep, breakfast and a calm tone help more than extra drilling. 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.
- 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.
- Watch how you talk about maths and school. Avoid “I was bad at maths too”. Say instead “I never got to learn it properly, let’s find out together”. It shows that hard things can be learned. As a conversation: about 5 minutes.
- A set time and place for homework. Decide together when and where homework is done, for how long, and that screens are put away. In the research review, clear routines showed the strongest link to better homework habits, more than direct help. Works in everyday life: about 10 minutes.
How you can tell it has clicked in Year 3
- Stories from Greek, Roman and Norse mythology and from Sami religion: Your child can retell a story about Thor or Odin.
- Migration within a country and between countries: causes and effects: Your child can name reasons why people move.
- Compass points and simple maps: Your child can describe which direction one place lies from another.
- Land, water and climate as conditions for where people live: Your child can explain why many towns and cities lie by water.
Common pitfalls in Year 3
- Land, water and climate as conditions for where people live: Thinks people live wherever they do purely by chance.
- The continents, the oceans and the Nordic region: Thinks Australia and Oceania are part of Asia.
- The history of the local area, objects from the past and the role of Christianity in schools in the past: Thinks electricity and telephones have always existed.
- Stories from the Bible and symbols in Christianity, Judaism and Islam: Thinks all religions have the same symbol.
If social studies practice in Year 3 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 3 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 3, the game practises 16 skills: the world’s oceans and the Nordic countries; natural and cultural landscapes in the local area, and traces of the Ice Age; compass points and simple maps; land, water and climate as conditions for where people live; and more.
Labbet (The Lab)
Guess first, then find out. The tasks are based on checked facts. In Year 3, the game practises 15 skills: the world’s oceans and the Nordic countries; natural and cultural landscapes in the local area, and traces of the Ice Age; land, water and climate as conditions for where people live; the continents, the oceans and the Nordic region; 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 3, the game practises 3 skills: 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; and time words and timelines.
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 3, the game practises 1 skill: compass points and simple maps.
Questions about social studies in Year 3
What does Lärkompis practise in social studies in Year 3?
Lärkompis has 16 skills in social studies in Year 3, for example “The world’s oceans and the Nordic countries”; “Natural and cultural landscapes in the local area, and traces of the Ice Age”; “Compass points and simple maps”; “Land, water and climate as conditions for where people live”; and “The continents, the oceans and the Nordic region”. 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 is expected in social studies in Year 3 by the end of the year?
Skolverket's criteria at the end of Year 3 say, in plain words: your child knows the basics about places, the past and the present, society and different traditions, and can talk about them in simple words of their own. Lärkompis does not replace the teacher's assessment, but it shows you which skills your child is practising in Year 3.
Which mistakes are common in social studies in Year 3?
Common mistakes that Lärkompis covers include “Thinks people live wherever they do purely by chance” in “Land, water and climate as conditions for where people live” and “Thinks Australia and Oceania are part of Asia” in “The continents, the oceans and the Nordic region”. 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 3?
Yes. Every exercise in social studies in Year 3 is linked to an item in the Lgr22 core content for Years 1–3; 66 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 3 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 3 for free first, without an account.
More years and subjects
The same year in other subjects:
