In this Sims 4 skills guide, we will be showing you how to learn skills, teaching you how moods affect your Sim’s ability to use said skill, and give you a full list of all the skills in the game. On this page:
Sims 4 skills list Sims 4 child and toddler skills How to use skill books How emotions affect your Sim’s skills
Sims 4 skills list
Here is a list of all of the Sims 4 skills in the game. All these skills have 10 levels and are available to Sims aged Teen and older unless otherwise noted.
The Sims 4 child and toddler skills
As stated above, the majority of Sims 4 skills are only available to Teen Sims and older. That’s because Children and Toddlers have their own unique skill sets. The skills gained by very young Sims don’t carry directly over into their more mature life stages. However, having a high level toddler or childhood skill can grant useful bonus traits, or predispose a Sim to be better at certain types of skills in later life. The table below details all the skills in The Sims 4 that are only available to toddlers and children. All of these skills are available in the base game. Unless otherwise stated, Toddler Skills have five levels each, while Child Skills have 10.
How to use skill books
Many Sims 4 skills can be learned from skill books. They can be read at the library or bought via your computer or bookcase. Reading a skill book is often the quickest way to learn a skill. Skill books come in three volumes per skill, and it is important to get the right volume for your Sim’s skill level. These are the skill levels that each skill book volume can increase:
Volume 1: Skill levels 1-4 Volume 2: Skill levels 5-7 Volume 3: Skill levels 8-9
The final skill level needs to be learned by doing a related activity enough times to master the skill. The only exception is Vampire Lore, which can only be mastered by reading the appropriate skill books.
How emotions affect your Sim’s skills
Good emotions allow you to increase your Sim’s skill level quicker, and the chances of getting a preferred outcome such as creating a masterpiece with the painting skill. Your Sim’s mood can also negatively impact your ability to use skills, so if your Sim is tense, try to get rid of that mood before trying to improve or use the skill. Some emotions enable your Sims to make special versions of their creations, too, such as a playful novel or an angry painting. This can invoke that emotion in Sims who read or view them. Here are all of the emotions in the game: Good emotions:
Happy Confident Energized Flirty Focused Inspired Playful
Neutral emotions:
Fine Asleep
Bad or Negative emotions:
Angry (Can be good for Criminals or Mischievous Sims) Bored Dazed (Can be good for Comedians) Embarrassed Sad Tense Uncomfortable Scared Possessed (Requires StrangerVille)
Now that you know how to build every skill in The Sims 4, you might be interested to learn that you can bypass all that hard work and just cheat to increase them! If such underhanded tactics are your thing, we aren’t going to judge… in fact, I’ll just direct you towards our The Sims 4 cheats guide so that you can get started. Or if you saw a skill you like the look of but don’t own the relevant pack to use it yet, get informed with our comprehensive buyer’s guide to the best Sims 4 DLC.
