 Becoming a new Tiger Cub Scout Leader (or any other leader) can be a shocking experience. Some volunteer for it, others are thrust into it, and most will wonder if they are up to the task. They wonder if they have what it takes to be a Scout Leader, whether they can keep up the commitment, and if they will let those young Tiger Cubs down. The truth of it is this: You Can Do It! It may not always be easy, but you can get through it and grow as a person with it, right along with the boys in your den. To make this easier, follow these simple guidelines:
Make it Fun Keep it in Perspective. Two guiding principles will help you keep everything that you do in a den meeting in perspective: Everything you do should either be a game or a ceremony. Do your tigers need to learn their Bobcat requirements? Play Bobcat Freeze-Tag, where one boy is it and when a boy is frozen, they answer their den leader’s Bobcat questions! Did your tigers earn a bead? Have a bead-giving ceremony! Make sure they feel the respect you have for their achievement. Is your pack having a Clean-Up Day at your Chartering Organization? See who can pick up the most unusual piece of trash, or maybe come back with the biggest bag without being stuffed with leaves. Tigers – the first graders and the youngest of the Cub Scouts – are eager. They want to enjoy themselves, they want to like cub scouts, and they want to like what you have to give them. For many, this will be their first foray into an organization that is more civic-minded and growth-centered than team-minded and goal-centered. They will mostly be thinking about camping and pocket knives and pine wood derbies – all of the activities that makes Cub Scouts famous to young boys, as well as the Cub Scouts’ best recruiting tool. And they will be looking to you as their guide and leader to make it all happen. With this in mind, you really have a wide-open playing field! All you have to do is make it engaging, make sure their achievements get completed, and stay in close touch with the pack committee so you will be sure not to miss any upcoming events. Also remember that you only have to concern yourself with three meetings. The pack meeting is run by the Cubmaster. Remember, too, the Cub Scout motto, because it also applies to you: Do Your Best! Keep it Simple. Tigers and other Scouts do not need extravagance. They want things to do, and so much is new to them that most will be things they’ve never done before or maybe only once or twice. If they have done it before, they will be proud to already know how to do something that they “gotta know” for Cub Scouts. Simple ideas for the meetings: Have a Gathering Activity. This is an activity for the boys to do while everyone shows up. The internet abounds with coloring pages, word searches, and other games to do. Just print off enough for everyone and bring them to the meeting. Make sure you say the Pledge of Allegiance and the Scout Promise. Give it the air of ceremony for your opening. Let the Scouts take turns in leading it. Do a Craft. Even if it’s something simple, give them something to take home and show off. Even better, make sure you bring the crafts made to the next pack meeting. The leaf-rubbing craft is simple and completes a requirement! Make sure you play a game. My favorite game is one I learned at a district roundtable (a meeting attended by all of the Cub Scout and Boy Scout leaders in a given area. Ask about them – they’re fun and very educational!) It’s called “Egg-Chicken-Raptor.” There’s always dodge ball, too, which can be played inside with ping pong balls, “water bombs” without water in them, or cushballs. Obviously, these games are the kind that wind kids up. I try to play these towards the end, especially with a new den, so the last thing they remember doing was really exciting! Involve the Other Parents! Nothing else will make it easier on you than this. They have to be there anyway, and they’re probably bored just watching you. Don’t worry! You don’t need to bring snacks, or make a big mess, or wait for everyone to do something perfectly to go on! Learn to roll with it and move on when you can tell they’ve had enough! The hour will be over before you know it if you have enough going on, but keep it simple and relaxed. Keep it Fun! Always remember, it’s not a job – its fun! Keep it fun, especially for Tigers. Go outside for any small reason because Cub Scouts is about the outdoors, especially in its earlier days. Besides, boys like being outside. If you can manage to have the entire meeting outside, this will also lend an air of intrigue to your Tiger Cubs’ experience. Be a boy! Remember what it’s like to be a boy. Some boys try to be funny and make jokes. Some boys like to talk to their friends. Some boys get anxious sitting around and being still. Remember these things and try to feel it again. Have a joke ready. Boys love jokes, and they love to learn new ones. Have a joke or two ready right for the first part of the meeting. Ask them if they heard any good ones lately. Talk to the boys. This can be especially good during the gathering phase of your meeting. Did your Tiger miss a meeting last week? Ask him what he did, if you know it was something fun and good. Did something happen in the news recently or at the boys’ school recently? Ask them about it and listen to their answer. Be appropriately amazed. Involve the boys in the planning. Maybe they can pick the game for next week. They might have an idea as to where to go on the next Go See It. Ask them where they would like to go. Ask questions to which you already know the answers – simple stuff like, does anyone know of any firehouses in the area? If particular boys don’t answer these questions, ask them by name. They may be waiting for the opportunity. Have a den cheer! Den cheers are great. You can change them every month or keep the same one. Have the boys come up with their own, if they want. Sometimes they make up their own spontaneously. Try to record it for them so they can do it again at the pack meeting. Whatever you do, don’t give up. Your son wants to be there, and so do the other boys. You can do it! Just keep it in perspective, keep it simple, and keep it fun! Before you know it, leading a den meeting will become easier. Check out ScoutsUSA.org for more ideas, or visit the forums to see what others have to say.
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