Sims 4 Magic School Roleplay: 7-Year Hogwarts-Inspired Education System
I've always considered it essential to experience the game as an immersive story rather than simply a set of mechanics. When I decided to introduce a magic school into my Sims 4 gameplay, my main inspiration was clear – the iconic Hogwarts from the Harry Potter universe. This idea led me to develop my own custom 7-year Sims 4 magic school education system, designed to bring the unique atmosphere of a school of witchcraft and wizardry to the Sims 4 world. Now, I'm excited to share this magic school roleplay concept with the wider sims community.
How the Sims 4 Magic School Education Works
In my system, characters enter the school at age 11 (age system in my game).
The first three years they're in the child stage. At this age there's no magic yet (not included in the game), so essentially these three years are preparation and foundation building.
From the fourth through the seventh year, Sims transition to the teen life stage, when actual magic abilities become accessible in the Sims 4 universe.
Each academic year in my Hogwarts-inspired education system lasts five in-game days.
I experimented with several class schedules, but found the following structure most effective for roleplay and storytelling in Sims 4:
- Before year 4 — 1 lesson per day;
- From year 4 — 2 days out of five with two classes.
This is enough to feel the learning process, but not lose the plot and interaction between students.
Education management happens through clubs in the format of "6 students + teacher".
My roleplay took place in a school I built for myself.
Magic school atmosphere
For me, school isn't just about classes. In my roleplay there were four classes that I assembled through clubs. Different teachers headed the clubs, and every morning I'd gather all four clubs at school to feel the living hallways.
At the beginning and end of each academic year, I'd hold a general dinner for all students – such a small but very important tradition, reminiscent of the great feasts at Hogwarts.
Class schedule
I tried to arrange the class schedule by days to create the feeling of a real learning process. In my personal experience, the optimal class duration is 4 sim hours with all the time spent on gathering clubs (we all know how sims work), especially if the school for roleplay will be a large lot.
Before moving on to the class schedule, a small note: the sims who will serve as teachers at the school need to build up those skills that correspond to their subjects.
First year
Children are just arriving at school and still don't fully understand where exactly they've ended up. Magic here is more theory than practice.
First year subjects:
— History of Magic – the teacher gives a lecture at the board from the "Businesses and Hobbies" expansion
— Psychology – the teacher gives a lecture at the board from the "Businesses and Hobbies" expansion
— Astronomy – gathering through club for telescope observation
— Drawing – gathering through club for drawing at children's creativity tables
— Ethics of Magic – the teacher gives a lecture at the board from the "Businesses and Hobbies" expansion, or gathers everyone in the common hall where debates are held between two teachers and students observe.
Second year
Still a theoretical year, since magic without mods only appears from the teen stage. But still, there's something magical the kids can already get their hands on.
Subjects:
— Drawing – gathering through club for drawing at children's creativity tables
— Gardening – gathering through club for garden care
— Divination – finally something magical, gathering in a classroom with tables from the "Paranormal" pack and trying to contact the deceased
— Origami – a little more magic: if you build up the skill to level 10, the ability to tell fortunes with a paper fortune teller appears. To make learning more challenging in the second year, you can simply practice origami, and from the third year raise the skill and tell fortunes
Recommendation from personal experience: under no circumstances set the "paper crafts" action in club activities. Sims non-stop start spawning unfinished crafts that clog up the mat menu, which causes the game to lag heavily and the simulation gets stuck
— Chemical experiments – gathering through club for activities at the chemistry table for kids
Third year
At the end of this year you can roleplay a graduation ball from elementary school, and even arrange slow dances between the kids with the help of a mod.
Subjects:
— Unicorns – I populated a separate residential lot with a family with unicorns (taken from the gallery), where I'd go visit with the children and ride horses with them
— Arrows – gathering through club for archery
— Divination – gathering in a classroom with tables from the "Paranormal" pack and trying to contact the deceased
— Origami – if you build up the skill to level 10, the ability to tell fortunes with a paper fortune teller appears
— Chemical experiments – gathering through club for activities at the chemistry table for kids
Fourth year
From this moment everything becomes a bit more serious. Here the opportunity to practice real magic appears, and also a small complication is introduced: two days pass with two lessons.
Subjects:
— Potion-making (2 lessons per year) – gathering through club for experiments at the cauldron
— Divination – gathering in a classroom with tables from the "Paranormal" pack and trying to contact the deceased
— Herbology – the teacher gives a lecture at the board from the "Businesses and Hobbies" expansion
— Fundamentals of Practical Magic (2 lessons per year) – practice in practical magic both independent and with a mentor
— Astronomy – gathering through club for telescope observation (for variety you can go to a separate observatory to roleplay a lesson outside school)
I like to record what the character learns first when practicing magic, and consider it some kind of signature spell of the spellcaster.
Fifth year
Here I already start to pay a bit more attention not only to lessons, but also to social interactions. At the teenage age you can add to the school roleplay first love, unexpected drama, betrayals.
Subjects:
— Potion-making (2 lessons per year) – gathering through club for experiments at the cauldron
— Floristry – gathering through club for practice working with plants
— Fundamentals of Practical Magic (2 lessons per year) – practice in practical magic both independent and with a mentor
— Divination – gathering in a classroom with tables from the "Paranormal" pack and trying to contact the deceased
— Fundamentals of Mischief Magic – practice in mischief magic both independent and with a mentor
Sixth year
More magic in the students' lives!
Subjects:
— Fundamentals of Untamed Magic – practice in untamed magic both independent and with a mentor
— Fundamentals of Practical Magic (2 lessons per year) – practice in practical magic both independent and with a mentor
— Potion-making – gathering through club for experiments at the cauldron
— Arrows – gathering through club for archery, recalling skills from the initial years
— Fundamentals of Mischief Magic (2 lessons per year) – practice in mischief magic both independent and with a mentor
Seventh year – final year
At the end of this year you can roleplay a graduation ball.
Subjects:
— Potion-making – gathering through club for experiments at the cauldron
— Divination – gathering in a classroom with tables from the "Paranormal" pack and trying to contact the deceased
— Fundamentals of Mischief Magic (2 lessons per year) – practice in mischief magic both independent and with a mentor
— Fundamentals of Untamed Magic (2 lessons per year) – practice in untamed magic both independent and with a mentor
— Fundamentals of Practical Magic
Extra Enrichment for Your Sims 4 Magic School
— Examination duels at the end of each year, starting from the 4th;
— In the three initial years you can award students certain trophies based on the results of each year, for example, a future cube;
— Create a "half-blood" class, who don't have abilities, but have a chance to awaken them. Starting from the teenage stage at the beginning of the year, randomly select one student whose abilities awakened (you can make them a spellcaster through CAS). For me, out of 6 students 4 became spellcasters;
— After graduation you can enhance the character by slightly raising their skill levels with cheats for the skills that were practiced in school.
