After you are married in Skyrim, you may consider bringing some children into your household. Although you don’t really have time to birth your own children, there are plenty of options for kids to adopt around Skyrim. Here’s how and where to adopt some kids into your family.
How to Adopt Kids in Skyrim
Before you invite a child to join your family, you’ll need to complete a few steps first:
- Own a home with an extra bed and dresser
- Complete the “Innocence Lost” quest
Own a Home
First, you’ll need to have a home for them to live in. You can buy a house at any of the major holds. Once you have a house, speak to the Steward of that hold, usually somewhere near the Jarl, and ask them to construct a Child’s room for the home. You can only have a child if you have a space for them to live.
Complete “Innocence Lost” Quest
Another requirement for adopting kids from the orphanage is having the “Innocence Lost” quest completed. This is the first quest of the Dark Brotherhood, but you don’t need to continue to that point if you don’t want to. To begin the quest, head to Windhelm and look around for any rumors. You should receive the quest right away just by wandering around the city. Then, continue with the questline and assist Aventus in killing the cruel Riften Honorhall Orphanage owner, Gerold The Kind. You can bypass the beginning of the quest by going straight to Honorhall Orphanage in Riften and killing Gerold The Kind right away.
After completing this quest, wait for a letter from the Courier with the title “Consider Adoption.” At this point, you can return to the orphanage and speak to Constance Michel about adoption. Now you can speak to one of the children and propose adopting them (you can also adopt children outside of the orphanage by speaking to them).
Where to Adopt Kids in Skyrim
Once you complete these two initial requirements, you can find a child to adopt. Here are some places where you’ll find them:
Riften – Honorhall Orphanage
Before completing the “Innocence Lost” quest, all of these kids are already in Honorhall Orphanage in Riften. After speaking to Constance Michel, any one of them can be adopted by speaking to them.
- Samuel – Imperial boy, green shirt
- Runa Fair-Shield – Nord girl, blue dress
- Francois Beaufort – Imperial boy, red shirt
- Hroar – Nord boy, orange shirt
Dawnstar – Windpeak Inn
Alesan is a young Redguard boy who lost his father to sickness. He now works at the inn in Dawnstar, delivering food to the local miners. You’ll find him most often at the Windpeak Inn, where he sleeps on a bedroll on the floor. Just like Sophie, you can adopt him by asking where his parents are.
Windhelm – Outside the Docks Entrance
In Windhlem, little Sophie, a Nord girl, wanders around, trying to sell flowers to earn money. You can find her initially by exiting the city at the docks and then re-entering. This will trigger her to ask you if you want to buy flowers. She lost both her parents and will gladly accept adoption if you ask her where her parents are.
Solitude – Katla’s Farm
Another poor orphaned boy, a Breton named Blaise, works just outside Solitude at Katla’s Farm. You can find him around the stables, where he cares for the horses and, sadly, sleeps. To adopt him, ask him how he likes the farm.
Whiterun – Outside The Bannered Mare
Another Imperial child, Lucia, begs for a coin in Whiterun after her aunt threw her out following her parent’s death. You can find her right outside of The Bannered Mare Inn and can adopt her by asking her why she’s begging.
Additional Children to Adopt
There are a few more children you can choose to adopt, but unlike the children shown above, they will only be adoptable in rare cases. These kids are only adoptable if their parents die from dragons or vampires attacking the various holds. They will then end up at Honorhall Orphanage, where you can invite them to live with you.
If you’re feeling a bit mischievous, you can also do away with their parents to have them end up at the Orphanage sooner. However, they won’t let you adopt them if they witness you harm their parents.
- Aeta from Skall Village
- Braith from Whiterun
- Britte from Rorikstead
- Clinton Lylvieve from Dragon Bridge
- Dorthe from Riverwood
- Eirid from The Frozen Hearth
- Erith from Left Hand Mine
- Frodnar from Riverwood
- Gralnach from Heartwood Mill
-  Hrefna from Darkwater Crossing
- Knud from Katla’s Farm
- Minette Vinius from The Winking Skeever
- Sissel from Rorikstead
- Skuli from Old Hroldan Inn
- Svari from Solitude
Once you adopt a child, you will see them at your house. You can speak with them to give them items, ask them to play games with you, or check up on them occasionally. They will be much happier with a warm home to reside in.
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