With the addition of The Sims: 4 Seasons, they've added a new phase to children's lives after school. As childhood can be quite boring in the game, it's a fun way to give yourself a new challenge as well as fulfilling the children's aspiration!
Scouting is a great addition to the parental character value system that was added with The Sims 4: Parenthood. Most of the things your scouts will have to do will increase your sim's character values at the same time.
How to start scouting
Your child or teenager can participate in scouting and is not available for any other stage of life. All you have to do is go to your sim phone and choose to participate in the activity after school, or for teenagers it can be found under find a job. You will be given the option of joining a scouting or drama club.
The description of the scouting career states:
"Hey whippersnapper, do you have what it takes to be a scout? Pull out that compass and volunteer today! As a virtuous Scout, you'll do fun activities with your troop and learn what it takes to be an upstanding member of your community "
When you join scouting, you will be given a scouting card in your inventory for your sim to check their badge progress and collect the badges they have received. You will also unlock a new scouting outfit that your sim can wear whenever they wish.
Your sim will have to go to the scouting meeting on both Saturdays and Sundays every weekend from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. This is nice because it can break up the monotony of your child or teenager staying at home all weekend.
Your sim will also be able to update their scout pack website, make donations to charity and comment on scout forums!
Earning Scouting badges
In order for your sim to progress in his scouting career, he has to work constantly to earn badges. You will be able to see your current career level under your sim's school information in the career/school panel.
To earn scouting badges you need to complete a certain type of activity a specific number of times, which we will go over in the next section. Once you have earned the required number of badges, you will automatically receive a scouting promotion.
Types of scouting badges
- Young scientist
"To obtain this badge, carry out scientific activities such as computer programming or using the microscope and telescope."
Your child or teenager must perform 5 of these interactions to complete the junior scientist badge. Children are not able to program the computer, so you can get them to use the junior wizard set (the science table) and they should be able to complete this badge easily.
- Civic responsibility
"To obtain this badge, perform cleaning or repair actions".
Your child or teenager must carry out 8 cleaning or repair tasks to complete this badge. You can look for various messes around the house. If you have siblings who are a bit naughty and leave a lot of paint (parenting) messes, this can be extremely easy.
- Sociability
"To earn this badge, perform friendly socials with another sim."
Your child or teenager must perform 12 social actions with another sim to complete this badge and they must be friendly social interactions. You can do things like brighten up the day or get to know other children or family members and you should be able to finish this fairly quickly.
- Good actions
"To earn this badge, entertain a small child, make someone laugh, take out the trash or help someone with their homework."
Your child or teenager has to perform 6 good deeds to complete this badge. They can have fun interactions with their family members or play with their younger siblings. They can also take out the rubbish, however, most of my families have the NanoCan touchless trash can, so I never get the chance to convince them to take out the trash.
- Return
"To get this badge, donate items to charity from your inbox and computer"
Your child or teen sim has to give back to charity 5 times to get this badge. I've found that this works really well with the arts and crafts badge progress because you can get your child to do arts and crafts on the craft tables, put them in their inventory, and then donate those craft projects. Whatever you try to donate has to be in your sim's inventory.
- Keep fit
"To earn this badge, perform dance or exercise activities."
Your child or teenager must do at least 6 fitness-related activities to get this badge. This can include dancing, exercising and playing in a jungle gym.
- Arts and Crafts
"To earn this badge, create craft items, drawings or paintings."
This is one of the easiest to complete, since it has nothing to do with other sims or waiting for a mess. Your child or teenager only needs to create 6 crafts or artistic paintings. Children can do this on the creative table and teenagers can use an easel.
- Outdoor adventurer
"To earn this badge, carry out outdoor activities such as fishing, finding frogs or grilling outdoors."
Your child or teenager needs to do at least 6 outdoor activities to acquire this skill. The best way to do this is simply to go fishing or scour the neighbourhood for logs so they can find frogs.
- Academic aptitude
"To obtain this badge, carry out study activities such as reading books or completing homework."
This is probably the easiest to complete, because children have to do their homework anyway! Your child or teenager has to do at least 5 academic activities to get this badge. If you want to get the badge faster, ask your child to read some children's books.
Trait Reward Scout Aptitude
If you manage to get your sim to the highest level of the scouting career, you will be rewarded with the scouting aptitude reward trait. This reward trait will increase all of your sim's skill gains by 25% for life. This can be combined with other types of skill gains such as savant or night owl.
Final thoughts
Scouting can be a really fun way to get your children to have more interesting things to do with their time, especially at weekends. They will be more successful as adults if they manage to complete all the scouting badges!
Have you ever joined scouting in The Sims 4? What do you think about it? Let me know in the comments!