Activities for children?
I would love to see more activities unlocked for child Sims. The child stage is my least favorite because I feel like it's so limited--there are only 4 big goals they can accomplish, which is boring and tiresome for me once I have done them all. Some of the existing activities that teens-elders can do would even be perfect for those little guys!
A few ideas for activities:
-Baking! Not necessarily cooking, but one of my favorite memories from my own early childhood is standing on a chair in the kitchen helping Mom bake cookies. How cute would that be for a sweet little moment? <3
-Why can't children work in the garden? I understand not using the bug spray (for the sake of realism), but why not give them the ability to weed and water the plants? Even harvest them?
-Learning to swim/play games in the pool. Again, I'm imagining the animations and they would be adorable! And I remember being able to play Marco Polo in TS2 (Or rather, "Timla!" "Tourneau!!" :mrgreen: ), that would be such a fun activity for all ages!
-Painting at the easel, or perhaps have a child's easel. I've mentioned before that I think that activity table looks too juvenile when you're trying to show preteen child, so a special easel for kids would be perfect.
Kids have so much untapped potential in this game! I do use poses and animations in-game, but having them readily available is so much more convenient. :)
EDIT: Wow, some of these replies are fantastic! I'm glad I'm not the only one who misses certain interactions. Thanks for the insight, you guys! I love this comment by @GrumpyGlowfish:
"I don't get why children need to have their own separate skills in the first place. When I was a kid, my hobbies included writing stories, painting/drawing, videogaming and playing the piano, all of which perfectly translate to adult skills in TS4, and I didn't just forget what I had learned when I grew up.
Of course, there are some objects which would be difficult for child sims to use, such as the treadmill and other sport equipment clearly designed for taller people, but there are other ways for children to gain fitness. I'm okay with them not being able to cook their own meals like professionals, or the parenting skill only unlocking when they're older, and imagining a child doing those weird yoga positions or becoming an expert massage therapist also feels a little unrealistic to me, but everything else should be available to them.
Why can't the child's personality and aspiration determine which skills they can and can't learn? Or just make their learning process for skills that don't match their traits much slower. That would be a way to realistically limit their experience, so they can't become an expert on everything before they grow up, but still don't feel as exclusive as they do now. For example, creative kids have a much easier time with musical instruments, writing, and painting, whereas their more extroverted friends gain social skills faster, and advanced stuff such as programming and rocket science is reserved for the brightest of them all.
Just do away with those child-specific skills, we already have that for toddlers, and there it actually makes sense."
A few ideas for activities:
-Baking! Not necessarily cooking, but one of my favorite memories from my own early childhood is standing on a chair in the kitchen helping Mom bake cookies. How cute would that be for a sweet little moment? <3
-Why can't children work in the garden? I understand not using the bug spray (for the sake of realism), but why not give them the ability to weed and water the plants? Even harvest them?
-Learning to swim/play games in the pool. Again, I'm imagining the animations and they would be adorable! And I remember being able to play Marco Polo in TS2 (Or rather, "Timla!" "Tourneau!!" :mrgreen: ), that would be such a fun activity for all ages!
-Painting at the easel, or perhaps have a child's easel. I've mentioned before that I think that activity table looks too juvenile when you're trying to show preteen child, so a special easel for kids would be perfect.
Kids have so much untapped potential in this game! I do use poses and animations in-game, but having them readily available is so much more convenient. :)
EDIT: Wow, some of these replies are fantastic! I'm glad I'm not the only one who misses certain interactions. Thanks for the insight, you guys! I love this comment by @GrumpyGlowfish:
"I don't get why children need to have their own separate skills in the first place. When I was a kid, my hobbies included writing stories, painting/drawing, videogaming and playing the piano, all of which perfectly translate to adult skills in TS4, and I didn't just forget what I had learned when I grew up.
Of course, there are some objects which would be difficult for child sims to use, such as the treadmill and other sport equipment clearly designed for taller people, but there are other ways for children to gain fitness. I'm okay with them not being able to cook their own meals like professionals, or the parenting skill only unlocking when they're older, and imagining a child doing those weird yoga positions or becoming an expert massage therapist also feels a little unrealistic to me, but everything else should be available to them.
Why can't the child's personality and aspiration determine which skills they can and can't learn? Or just make their learning process for skills that don't match their traits much slower. That would be a way to realistically limit their experience, so they can't become an expert on everything before they grow up, but still don't feel as exclusive as they do now. For example, creative kids have a much easier time with musical instruments, writing, and painting, whereas their more extroverted friends gain social skills faster, and advanced stuff such as programming and rocket science is reserved for the brightest of them all.
Just do away with those child-specific skills, we already have that for toddlers, and there it actually makes sense."
