The Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack

Guide to DLC Additions and Gameplay Features

The Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack allows you to better play parent to toddlers, children, and teens
The Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack release date is May 30, 2017

In the Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack, Sims players are able to more realistically raise children and direct the type of adult that they will become. New features such as the parenting skill, the character values system, and teachable moments will increase the gameplay depth and variety raising children and teens in The Sims 4. New animations and activity features will further add to the game and bring this life simulator a little closer to reality. Improving the realism of interaction and behaviors in childhood seems to have been the main goal of this pack, and to players raising a family it will add some challenge and depth.

Parenthood Guides

  • Character Values - Learn about the values, raising them, and good/bad traits for extremes
  • Parenting Skill - The new skill that helps your Sims improve as parents.
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Parenthood Gameplay

The Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack: A daddy hugs his daughter in the DLC
Click to Enlarge this and all other detailed images. A father hugs his daughter. You can teach your children to be empathetic and kind through parenting or be strict and inflict punishment when they misbehave.

The following are the major gameplay additions of the Parenthood pack. On release day, check back for guides to the new content.

Parenting Skill

The Sims 4 Parenthood - a father looks up information for raising his kids, which are wrecking the house
A father looks up advice for raising his kids, who are trashing the house. The look on his face is priceless.

Parenthood features a new Parenting Skill. As your Sim interacts with their kids or searches the web for advice on parenthood, they will gain experience in the all-new parenting skill and unlock new socials and abilities. You can direct children to do chores, praise positive behavior or scold negative behavior. Grounding can be used in extreme circumstances in order to reverse bad behavior. This new addition is central to the DLC. The parenting skill governs the effects of parenting interactions upon children and how successful they are when used.

The Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack: Parenting Skill
However you choose to handle situations, like the sibling rivalry, your Sim will gain parenting skill that makes their interactions more effective.

You can choose tough love or gentle guidance in order to get the desired behavior out of children and teens. Leveling up may introduce new, more advanced interactions and help you to discipline and teach the kids to be well-mannered and emotionally stable, or else let them run wild and actively encourage bad behavior if you're interested in the type of people your little monsters might become.

Character Values Guide

The Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack: Character values are a core gameplay feature
Character Values are a major new feature that impact children into adulthood and change their autonomous behavior.

See the guide for more information. A new type of stat can be found on the Simology panel for all youngsters. Children and Teens have five character values: responsibility, manners, empathy, emotional control, and conflict resolution. A cool thing with these new values, is that they do change your Sims' autonomous behavior. Well-mannered Sims will suppress a fart and Sims with good emotional control will be more stable and less prone to outbursts. You get the idea! Both your Sim's parenting skill and the child's interests may influence their character values.

The Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack: Teachable Moments help drive Character Values

Teachable Moments appear from time to time during gameplay. These let you pick from several options in order to resolve a situation or teach your kid a lesson. How you choose to handle it will determine if it helps send the kid in the right direction and improves one of their character values.

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The Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack affects toddler, child, and teen life stages but development follows them into adulthood.
The Parenthood Pack effects Sims during all ages toddler and up. Any character flaws your child has by the time they transition from teen to adulthood may turn into a negative trait. Naturally, you can also get good traits for raising them well.

Character Values do not exist in a bubble during adolescence. As the child goes from teen to adult, their values turn into permanent traits that also affect how the Sim behaves in day to day life, the social options available to them, and their autonomous behavior. How you choose to raise your Sim's kids will directly impact the adult that they become.

The Sims 4 Parenthood DLC: Empathy Character Values
Actions taken by your child, not just parenting, will influence their Character values.

New Traits that develop from these character values include responsible, bad manners, compassionate, and others. Each character value comes with it two traits - one for a high level in one of the values, and another for an 'underdeveloped' character value - a flaw, if you will. There are a total of ten new traits, which can be seen on the Character values guide.

New Aspiration: Super Parent and Role Model Reward Trait

The new aspiration with this game pack is not particularly challenging, but features a great reward. It is one that you can work on in phases while you switch among other life goals. Your goals when taking up this aspiration will be to raise children to have positive character traits. From there, it is much easier for the parent to help raise kids. The'll receive the Role Model Reward Trait, which produces an aura that gives nearby adolescents a 50% increased character value experience boost. This will be handy for a Sim's lifetime, it is great to have a grandparent with tons of experience at parenting!

Other Features and Additions

The Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack: A family works on a science project together
A Sims 4 family works on a science project together.
  • Science and Art Projects - A staple of childhood, all of which can be kept after the project is complete. The family can work together on science projects.
  • Curfews - Impose a curfew on your kid to ensure they get home on time, or else you can..
  • Use Groundings and Other Punishments - in order to help improve your Sim's character values. They may not like it at the time, but it's sure to help curb bad behavior in the future.
  • Be Loving and Wise - Parents can also gently remind kids how to behave, and grandparents will be super-helpful with their experience at raising children.
  • Sibling Rivalries - Brothers and sisters might come to a rivalry, leading to conflict and dirty looks.
  • New Clothing and Decorations - In the screenshots below, you can see many new types of decoration and new clothes for all ages seem to be included in the pack.
  • New Animations and Behaviors - Kids can be told to set the table, do chores like clean up their room, and toddlers might bite!

Overall the Character Values system and Parenting skill are the core features of this pack. Raising kids in this manner immediately reminds me of caring for tamagochi pets and trying to keep them alive. It may be more interesting to play with full autonomy and direct the kids only to hope that they turn out to be good adults.

While the list of features is not massive, the aforementioned gameplay systems do seem capable of making a big impact and are large additions themselves. There are also a lot of little things here that influence day to day gameplay - in particular with how Sims interact with one another. With new objects, decorations, and animations, it's something that will breathe new life into The Sims 4 for many players - especially those of you who love nooboos and like raising them. Check the trailer and screenshots from the video below to see if this DLC is right for you. It's a must-have, or something you would pick up during a sale depending upon your enjoyment of raising children in Sims.

Parenthood Cheats

Cheats to set your Sim's character values, giving them positive or negative experience in each of the five categories, as well as the new reward/flaw traits they receive for being high or low in those categories can be found on our Cheats page.

The Sims 4 Parenthood Release Trailer

The Sims 4 Parenthood Screenshots

The Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack: Toddlers with their parent in the bedroom The Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack: Telling a kid to take out the trash
This place is a wreck - take the trash out!
The Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack: kid does not approve of having to do chores
No way, old man!
The Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack: Having fun in the family living room
Having fun in the family room.
The Sims 4 Parenthood Addon features sibling rivalries
Sibling Rivalries are a new gameplay feature in The Sims 4 Parenthood.
The Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack: A teen doing chores due to a punishment
A teen stuck doing chores.
The Sims 4 Parenthood Game Pack: A family works on an art project together
A family works on an art project together.

Parenthood Guides

  • Character Values - Learn about the values, raising them, and good/bad traits for extremes
  • Parenting Skill - The new skill that helps your Sims improve as parents.

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Comments (30)

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New
Wolfysays...
Smile
For the first time, the whole sims 4 community loves this Grin
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New
cissays...
not me, not at all.
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the ones who leave commentssays...
Why should it bother you that other people are able to get something they want? No one is forcing you to buy this expansion. No reason to complain about everyone else getting what they want.
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New
Arianaasays...
Does anyone know how much it costs? Anyways, I am looking forward to downloading and testing out this expansion pack! I'm sure it will be loads of fun!
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New
Kyootsays...
All Game Packs so far are $19.99, so I'd suspect that this will also be $19.99 as it's also a Game Pack.
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New
Anonynoussays...
All gamepacks are 14.99 I think because of a discount
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New
brookesays...
Anybody know the definite price for this pack? X CoolTongueCryingGrinSmileSadHuhLaugh
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Admin
Carlsays...
Should be $20 like all other GPs :)
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Regular
Emilysays...
Anyone know what time the pack will be released?
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Admin
Carlsays...
I believe they normally come out by 1-2pm EST or 4-5 Pacific

for others elsewhere in the world that'd be 5PM GMT.
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New
Juliettesays...
Do you know what time it will come out in the UK
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New
Charlisays...
GMT is UK time. So 5PM
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New
Charlisays...
Wait, it's BST at the moment actually. So 6pm
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New
Joycesays...
is there a new world for this game pack?
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Admin
Playalotsays...
No new world.
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New
Gabbie Norasays...

There are only new worlds for expansion packs, not game packs. Have a good day!

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Admin
Playalotsays...

Actually many Game Packs have added new worlds. Vampires, Island Living, Jungle Adventure, Strangerville and so on.

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New
Ellasays...
i just brought the parenthood pack but it wont download onto my game. how do I add it to my game?
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New
hayleysays...
Depending on where you are in the world it won't be available for download yet, I just bought my copy and I have to wait until 6pm before i can download, It's currently 12:05pm

I'm in the UK too xx
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Regular
Laurensays...
I've just bought this as well but can't seem to download it either. I will eagerly await 6pm.
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New
brookesays...
When is it being released on origin?
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New
Fawnsays...
5 pm GMT if your in the UK
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New
Sofie Vindholmensays...
What time comes the sims 4 parenthood:
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New
Sofie Vindholmensays...
What time comes out in norwigian?
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Tasha Louise Cardsays...
Were you able to purchase this game pack off the origin website?
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Admin
Playalotsays...
Yes, it is available to purchase on Origin
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New
Emilie Bergsays...
When does it come out Like clockwise? (I'm from Norway 6+ from USA San Fransisco)
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New
idksays...
what time will it come out in texas
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Admin
Playalotsays...
Sorry, can't answer all the time zones. Google a time zone converter. That's what I do to figure out what time packs release in my country. Smile
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Regular
Laurensays...
what time will it be able to download in alberta canada
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Juliettesays...
It has finally come out
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New
Pearlsays...
It should be out everyone now, for all those asking
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New
karina1700says...
As strange as it may sound I wanna raise a complete monster and unlease 'em onto the world xD I just wanna see things go way south.By the way does anyone know if you can spank you kids as a punishment?I know it's controversial but that's how I was disciplined growing up.I works for some kids and not so much for others.It gets a bad rap I think cause of parents actually doing it right when they''re p.o.ed at the kids. Parents need to be calm when they do this, and many are not Unsure
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Admin
Playalotsays...
No form of physical discipline like that is available in the game. There are ways to ground the children and teens and set curfews.
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Briasays...
Isn't there like allergies to foods in this pack if so how do you know your kid has allergies?
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Admin
Playalotsays...
No allergies but children can go through a temporary phase called 'Picky Eater' where they will prefer to eat their favorite Quick Meal.
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New
Yazsays...
Does anyone know how this will affect grown sims(child and teens) pre-Parenthood?
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Admin
Playalotsays...
If you mean how does it effect sims in a current game. It just adds the Character Values UI to the children and teens and as you play etc they will level up.
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New
Heathersays...
I'm brand new to the sims. Can I buy just this or do I have to buy like the "base game" first?
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Admin
Playalotsays...
You need to have the Base Game , 'The Sims 4' first. After that you can add any expansion pack, game pack or stuff pack you want to, or just play the base game itself. Smile
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Patty Prestonsays...
Where do I get the birthday cake???
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Admin
Playalotsays...
Your sims need to cook it. There are cooking level 1 options. Click on oven or fridge and choose from 'Cook' hamburger cake, chocolate cake or white cake. Fancier looking cakes at Level 1 of the gourmet cooking skill. Tip: If you have your sim inspired (from an inspiring shower) less chance of catching on fire when cooking.
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Omeriasays...
I love this game
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New
Amazingsays...
Hey love your guide did you know that The Sims 4 is making a new pack Cats and Dogs if you go to The Sims YouTube page you can watch the trailer

Just wanted to let you know
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Senior
Playalotsays...
Thanks! We have the links here on our forum. Always exciting to get new content!
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New
Angelinasays...
Yay just got the parenthod game pack and cant wait for it to download so i can play it!!
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New
Leannsays...
How do you switch which parent gets the school notifications??
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Senior
Playalotsays...
You can't. The game just chooses randomly, often not choosing the parent with the highest level of parenting skill either!
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Regular
Ashleysays...
My teen keeps becoming enraged from a mood swing, will she die?
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Senior
Playalotsays...
No it seems that death from extreme emotions has been turned off for teens by the game developers since Parenthood was released. Just get your sim to jog it off etc or a moodlet solver if you want the extreme emotion to go rather than using it to level up a value.


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