HighScore House Makes Kids Love Chores

Kids and chores usually don't mesh well together. One startup is aiming to change that, however. Founded by Kyle Seaman and Theo Ephraim, HighScore House helps parents motivate their kids to complete their household responsibilities by turning boring chores into a fun game. The company wants to “reclaim games for good” and be part of the new movement that uses games to improve the real world.

On the HighScore House website and iPad app, parents and children can set their own household challenges and rewards, which is based on a star economy so the kids can get either privilege or material rewards. The site offers task and reward suggestions as well. According to Seaman, the most popular prizes are those that make the child feel special, such as riding shotgun in the car or having ice cream for breakfast.

HighScore House wasn't built to replace parenting, but rather to serve as a tool to assist busy moms and dads. By incentivizing household tasks, parents get to save time and track chores easily while kids learn to become more responsible and work for long-term goals.

A Parent Tested Parent Approved award-winning product, HighScore House has raised an angel round from investors such as Dan Martell and Jason Bailey. The service is free to use, with some premium features on the way, like digital goods that kids can use to decorate their virtual rooms. Though currently in beta mode, HighScore House has already received positive reviews from moms and dads whose children are now enjoying their chores.

As one happy parent said, “My kids are falling all over themselves trying to figure out what they can do to earn points.” Another commented, “[HighScore House] helps organize everyday chores and makes the children more responsible.”

Seaman says he and his team want to do what Zynga did for social networks and gaming, only for families.