The Sims 3 Skills
The skills are talents that every Sims in the game has, and can to improve in order to do better in their work or in everyday activities. There are 19 different skills in Sims 3 (Including all expansion packs so far..). Every skill is divided into 10 levels, and can be improved in various ways such as skill books or other Sims (or other simple actions like running on the thread-walk). Improving the skills helps the Sims fulfill their wants and as a result to earn some lifetime points to use for buying useful lifetime rewards. After reaching level 1 of a skill, it will appear at the ‘skills’ tab at the sim panel.
Improving the skill levels
There are various ways of improving the skills in the game; here are the main methods to do so:
Skill books: Almost every skill has 3 learning books (vol.1 -3) that can be bought at the book store. Reading these alone will cause a great boost to its related skill. The first book (vol. 1 out of 3) will be available at the book store for all the skills that such improvement book. However, the second and the third volumes will be available only after the Sims will improve that skill a little bit, to a certain level. You could also read these books t the neighborhood library, without having to buy them.
Objects: You could improve the skills by using certain objects. Almost every skill has some objects like this: For example, the logic skill has the chemistry lab, the chess table and the computer. The athletic skill has exercising machines.
Classes: The Sims can learn the first level of the skill by taking a class lesson. These classes are only for the first level of the skills and are placed around the neighborhood.
Other Sims: After a sim has reached level 10 in a certain skill, he could teach other Sims that skill. Using this method you could boost the student sim skill by one level maximum. Learning from another Sims though, will allow another 1 level boost to the skill. Sim that reached level 10 in the logic skill could teach others not only the logic skill – but all the skills in the game, very nice.
The skill Journal
The Skill journal is a ‘summary’ report of a skill and contains information about that skill, the skill journal is available for all skills. The skill journal can be reached at the skills tab, to the right of the desired skill (a small picture of a notebook). However, the Skill journal will be available only after reaching level 1of its skill.
The skill journal contains some basic information about the skill and statistics for that skill like the time spend improving it. For the cooking skill for example the statistics will include: favorite meal, meal most prepared, highest quality meal, recipes prepared and recipes known. You could also find the skill challenges, which by completing them you will be rewarded.
Toddlers and children
There are some skills that can be learned by toddlers and children, but only limitedly. The toddlers can improve only 3 skills, up to level 3 each. The skills that can be improved by toddlers are the logic skill, the painting skill and the writing skill. Improving the skills as toddlers done differently, for instance the logic skill can improved by using the peg-box from the buy mood or buy reading the 3 pink children book found at the book store/library. When a toddler becomes a child, more skills are opened for him, but not all yet.