To adopt a child in Skyrim, you need the Hearthfire add-on and a house with a child’s bedroom; then talk to an orphan such as Lucia in Whiterun or Sofie in Windhelm and choose “I could adopt you, if you want.” You can also adopt from Honorhall Orphanage in Riften through Constance Michel, but only after the quest Innocence Lost is complete.
This guide covers Skyrim Special Edition and Anniversary Edition on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, all of which ship with Hearthfire. Below we cover how to prepare each type of home, where every adoptable child lives, how to unlock the orphanage, and what being a parent actually involves.
What You Need Before You Adopt
Adoption is a Hearthfire feature, and the rules are simple. Per the community wiki, you can adopt up to two children, and you do not need to be married. What you do need is a home with somewhere for a child to sleep, and that is where most players get stuck.
City houses need a child’s bedroom upgrade, bought from the steward of that city’s Jarl (in Whiterun, that is Proventus Avenicci in Dragonsreach). Prices from the community wiki:
- Breezehome (Whiterun): 250 gold, replaces the alchemy lab.
- Honeyside (Riften): 550 gold, replaces the enchanting lab.
- Vlindrel Hall (Markarth): 700 gold, replaces the alchemy lab.
- Hjerim (Windhelm): 1,250 gold, adds a children’s bedroom with minor storage loss.
- Proudspire Manor (Solitude): 3,000 gold, adds a brand-new room.
Hearthfire homesteads (Lakeview Manor, Windstad Manor and Heljarchen Hall) need the Main Hall built, plus the two single beds and the dresser in its upstairs children’s room, crafted at the carpenter’s workbench. If you also build the Bedrooms wing, furnish its child beds and chests too, because the children move in there.
Anniversary Edition owners get a shortcut: several Creation homes, including Tundra Homestead, Hendraheim, Myrwatch and Shadowfoot Sanctum, come ready-furnished for two children.
Where to Find Adoptable Children
Per the community wiki, these children can be adopted directly:
- Lucia (Whiterun): a homeless girl who begs in the Wind District by day, usually on the benches around the Gildergreen outside the Temple of Kynareth.
- Sofie (Windhelm): sells flowers in the streets and rests near the New Gnisis Cornerclub in the evening.
- Alesan (Dawnstar): runs food to the town’s miners and sleeps at the Windpeak Inn.
- Blaise (near Solitude): works and sleeps at Katla’s Farm.
- Francois Beaufort, Hroar, Runa Fair-Shield and Samuel: the children of Honorhall Orphanage in Riften.
Some other children move to the orphanage if their parents die, and become adoptable there.
How to Adopt an Orphan Step by Step
- Prepare a home using the options above.
- Find the child and talk to them with E on PC, A on Xbox, Cross on PlayStation or A on Switch.
- Choose “I could adopt you, if you want.” When they ask if you have a place, pick “Yes, I’ve got a house in…” and select the home.
- Head home. The child gathers their things and meets you there.
If you adopt a second child, they must join the first one in the same house. You can move the whole family later by telling either child “It’s time for us to move.”
How to Unlock Honorhall Orphanage
Honorhall’s headmistress, Grelod the Kind, will not let anyone adopt, so the orphanage stays closed until the quest Innocence Lost is done. Ask around Windhelm about Aventus Aretino, or talk to the Honorhall children, and the quest points you to his house in Windhelm. He asks you to kill Grelod, which is also the lead-in to the Dark Brotherhood, so make a full save before you go (our guide to saving in Skyrim explains why a hard save beats a quicksave).
Afterward, a courier delivers a letter about adoption. Go to Honorhall and ask Constance Michel about adopting. She asks what you do for a living: per the community wiki, saying you are the Dragonborn, the Harbinger of the Companions or the Arch-Mage satisfies her, while “assassin” or “thief” ends the conversation until you come back. She then asks where the child will live, and once you pick a home, you can talk to any of the children and offer to adopt them.
Life as a Parent in Skyrim
Once home, your child calls you Mama or Papa and has plenty to do. Per the community wiki, you can:
- Play games such as tag and hide-and-seek.
- Give gifts or an allowance, which grants the Gift of Charity bonus.
- Send them to do chores, to bed, or outside to play.
- Let them keep a pet. Children may bring home a wild animal or ask to adopt your dog, up to one of each.
Sleeping in the same house as your children grants Mother’s Love or Father’s Love, which makes healing spells and potions more effective. If you are married, your spouse moves in with the family and helps raise the kids; our guide to getting married in Skyrim covers the full ceremony. Per the community wiki, if you adopt first and marry later, the family has to live in one of your homes rather than your spouse’s.
The unmodded game caps you at two children. On PC, many players go further with mods, and our best Skyrim mods list covers the essentials that most mod setups start from. For more Skyrim walkthroughs, visit our Elder Scrolls guides hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have to be married to adopt in Skyrim? No. Single characters can adopt as long as they own a home with a child’s bedroom or furnished children’s beds.
How many children can you adopt? Two. A second child always moves into the same house as the first.
Can you adopt Aventus Aretino? Not in the unmodded game. He is not on the adoptable list, and per the community wiki, even the Unofficial Skyrim Patch only moves him to the orphanage without making him adoptable.
Why won’t Constance Michel let me adopt? Either Innocence Lost is not finished, or none of your homes has a child’s bedroom. Buy the upgrade from the steward, then talk to her again.
Can you adopt on Switch, PlayStation and Xbox? Yes. Hearthfire is included in the Special Edition, Anniversary Edition and both Switch versions, so adoption works the same everywhere.