Why we show chore streaks but hide the leaderboard by default
The NestBoard team · 2026-07-09
The problem with points
When we first built chore tracking, we added a leaderboard almost immediately. It felt obvious: kids are competitive, points make things fun, and a little friendly rivalry keeps everyone motivated.
Then we heard from a parent whose seven-year-old kept asking why his older sister "always won." The tasks weren't unfair—she just had more of them because she was older. But the leaderboard turned every week into a contest he couldn't win.
We realized we'd conflated two different things: doing the work and doing more work than someone else.
Streaks are about you
A streak is personal. It says "you fed the cat five days in a row" or "you've taken out the trash every Tuesday for three weeks." It's a measure of consistency, not comparison.
Streaks work because they create a relationship between you and the task. You're not racing anyone. You're building a habit, and the number is just a quiet reminder that you've kept your word to yourself.
We show streaks by default because they reinforce the thing we actually want: reliability. The trash still needs to go out whether or not your sibling did the dishes.
Leaderboards are about rank
A leaderboard introduces a completely different kind of motivation. Now you're not just doing your chores—you're aware of how your effort compares to everyone else's.
For some families, that's energizing. A little competition makes chore day more fun. Kids who thrive on external recognition love seeing their name at the top.
But for others, it creates pressure that doesn't help. The kid with fewer assigned tasks feels like they're losing by default. The one who struggles with executive function sees the board as a weekly reminder that they're behind. The competitive sibling starts negotiating for more tasks just to win.
Why we made it optional
We hide the leaderboard by default because comparison isn't a universal motivator. Some families need it. Others find it actively counterproductive.
So we built it as a setting you can turn on. If your household thrives on a little friendly competition, flip the switch and let the games begin. If you'd rather keep chores cooperative and low-pressure, leave it off and let streaks do the work.
It's the same philosophical choice we made with kid accounts—give families the tools, but don't assume every family works the same way.
What actually motivates
Here's what we've learned: most people don't need to beat someone else to feel good about emptying the dishwasher. They just need to know it mattered.
Streaks say "you did it." Leaderboards say "you did it better." Both can work. But only one of them keeps the focus on the task instead of the scoreboard.
We think that's the better default.