Hobbies And Interests
Instructions
Buy and use skill items to raise your skill levels. For example, a weight bench raises your body skill while a guitar raises your music skill. Each time you use a skill item your Sim will increase his knowledge of that skill.
Visit community lots that feature skill items if you cannot afford to purchase them yourself. For example, many parks feature chess tables that raise the logic skill and ponds that raise the fishing skill. Gymnasiums and public pools increase your body skill, while playing the guitar in public helps increase both your music skill and charisma.
Interact with household objects to build skills associated with that object. For example, practicing your speech in a household mirror boosts your charisma, while making a meal on the stove, microwave or outdoor grill increases your cooking skills. Repair appliances, plumbing fixtures and electronics when they break to boost your handiness skills, or tinker with the objects in your house.
Read books related to the skill to increase your Sim's skill levels. When you purchase a bookshelf for your Sim's home it will come stocked with level one books; later skill levels require you to track down further reading. Books can be purchased from the book store in town or read for free at the library. The cooking skill requires your Sim to purchase and learn additional recipes, while the music skill requires your Sim to purchase and learn additional songs.
Give your Sim traits that correlate to the skills you want that Sim to learn when you are building your Sim. An 'Athletic' Sim will have an easier time building up his body skill, while a 'Genius' Sim has an easier time with logic. If you want to max out one particular skill early on, take multiple traits that help with that skill. For example, the 'Green Thumb' trait makes your Sim a better fisherman and the 'Loves the Outdoors' trait gives him a boost to his mood when he's outside trying to build up his fishing skills.
Work on skills while your Sim is at work. When your Sim is working, click on their work icon to select how you want your Sim to behave at work. Some careers allow Sims to work on skills while on the job. For example, a Sim with a job in law enforcement can choose to work-out using the police department's gym. Not every career has this option and using it too much will prevent your Sim from getting promotions by slacking on his normal workload.
Sign your Sim up for skill lessons around town. For example, the restaurants in town offer cooking lessons, while the community theater offers guitar lessons. Your Sim can only take each lesson once.