Scout leaders need to take the motto Be Prepared to heart when it comes to keeping young Scouts interested, occupied and entertained during meetings. Boys especially need to play games to keep Scouting fun and exciting -- and to keep them coming back for more. If a meeting is nothing but “badge work” and lectures, children will become bored and run the risk of dropping out of Scouts.
Game Props
Cub Scout Leader Laura Biggs wrote in Scouting Magazine that every leader needs to put together their own “Leader’s Bag of Magical Wonders.” The bag is full of quick game props that “can work like magic during an unexpected lull at a Cub Scout event or activity.”
Fill your bag with common games props, like tennis balls, balloons or rope. Tennis balls can be used for relay races, balloons can be used for indoor games of volley ball and rope can be used for a quick three-legged race.
Another handy game prop can be found on your Cub Scouts: the Scout neckerchief. Use the neckerchief as a blindfold for a quick game of Blind Man's Bluff, or have each scout wear a blind fold while trying to tie knots (with the rope your brought in your Magic Bag). Neckerchiefs can also designate teams: have one team take off their neckerchiefs while the other keeps theirs on.
Quiet Games to Play Inside
Quiet games can be used to keep Scout busy while they're waiting for their turn to do an activity or start a field trip tour.
Telephone Game: This quiet game is played with the Scouts sitting in a circle. The leader starts the game by whispering a message (it should be about two sentences) to the first child, who then whispers the same message to the next child and so on. The point of the game is to see how garbled the message gets as it is passed along. The last child in the circle says the message out loud.
Knot-tying: Challenge Scouts to tie knots using bits of rope from your Magic Bag, or from licorice laces. Bonus: it's both a snack and a game.
Memory Games: Pull out some items from your Magic Bag and show them briefly to the Scouts. Cover the items with one of the Scout's neckerchiefs and challenge them to correctly name all the items under the neckerchief.
Active Indoor Games
If the Scouts have enough room to run around, you can play the following games. If space is an issue, challenge them to "walk quickly" instead of running.
Duck-Duck-Goose: This one is simple and most children already know it from gym class. Leaders should make sure that each child gets a turn at being "It".
Balloon Pop: Each Scout is given an inflated balloon which they must pop – by sitting on. They can’t use their hands or any sharp objects. Make the game “educational” by inserting a slip of paper into each balloon ahead of time with a fact that relates to that meeting’s badge work or a part of the Scout Promise. After the balloons are popped, each child reads his/her piece of paper to the group.
Crocodile Race: this old Scout game is an indoor race. Divide the Scouts into two even groups. Each group lines up, one behind the other. The Scouts squat down and place their hands on the shoulders of the child in front of them, while the lead child crosses his/her arms. The object is for the two teams to HOP to the finish line while never leaving the squatting position.
Shoe Race: Divide the children into two equal teams. Each child removes one shoe and all shoes are place in a pile at the end of the room. The Scouts must race to the end of the room, find their shoe, put it back on and race back to their team. The first team to get all their shoes back is the winner.
Games are an important part of Scouting. They can make Scout meetings more fun while allowing children to work off extra energy all while forming friendships within the Scout unit.
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