How to run your Cub Scout Den Meeting

These are my best practices for Cub Scout Den Leaders

Please remember to give yourself grace as a Scout leader. You are a volunteer and often likely new to Scouting – especially in a Scout leadership role, so be sure to take it easy on yourself. One of the key things to remember is that you don’t have to finish all your rank advancements as quickly as possible. You’ve got plenty of time. And, as long as the kids are having fun at the meetings and enjoying the time spent with their fellow Scouts, then you are doing a great job.

When I began as a Den Leader, one of the best pieces of advice I was given was to try and knock out required adventures first and then move to electives towards the end of the school year. That way, your Cubs can achieve their rank badge and anyone who missed a meeting (and by extension an adventure requirement) can work with you in the latter part fo the year to make up needed requirements.

Scheduling your Den meetings

Cub Scout Dens will either be formed already when you join OR they’ll be formed at or after Roundup. If you’re starting a brand new Den, then you’ll need to establish your leadership and have a solid Assistant Den Leader. While not required, it is very helpful because this second leader will be a big asset during meetings and planning. During the first few meetings, keep an eye out for parents that model the servant leadership spirit. Don’t pressure a parent into a leadership role, but simply ask. We are all volunteers and nobody wants to be voluntold what to do.

I would suggest finding some time to sit down with your Assistant Den Leader(s) and creating a schedule of meetings for at least the first 6 months or even the whole year. Aim for these objectives:

• 2 meetings with the Den per month
• Meetings to last about 1 hour. Some recommend closer to 45 minutes for younger Cubs like Lions.
• Try to keep your Den meetings and Pack meetings on separate weeks. It’s hard enough for some parents to bring out the kids once per week. Multiple days in one week won’t help that.
• Be sure to bring a copy of your Pack calendar and the local school district calendar, so you are aware of all existing events and holidays.

Prep for your Den meetings

Be sure to prep for your Den meetings. If you spend 30 minutes reading over the meeting requirements for your next adventure, planning topics, and gathering materials, you’ll be good. Please don’t go in cold to a Den meeting. You only have a couple hours each month with your Den, so being prepared helps you to make the most out of your time together. Also, young children have a short attention span, so with a little practice, you can provide a lot of great information quickly and then move on to your game or activity.

When you are prepping for your Den meetings, make sure you check with the Pack if you need project materials. If your Cub Scout Pack is established, there will likely be materials available to you in your Camp Closet. And, if you need to purchase materials, be sure to check with your Pack Committee since you might have a small budget available for purchasing materials for your Den. You’re already volunteering to lead a Den of Cubs – you’re not expected to buy all your materials as well.

Den Meeting Timeline

1. Gathering activity

Whether your gathering activity is a game, a service project, or some other fun activity, make sure it’s something that kids can join as they arrive. Use this time to make sure you are ready for the opening and your main activity later. This is a good activity to be led by an Assistant Den Leader or an involved parent.

2. Opening

The opening ceremony is the official opening of the meeting. Wrangle up those kids. Make sure they take a few drinks of water (especially necessary after a high-energy opening activity). Then, call the Den to attention with the Cub Scout Sign. Be sure to do the following:

• Pledge of allegiance
• Scout Oath
• Scout Law

3. Main Activity Intro

• Introduce the meeting topic. If you’re doing adventure requirements during the meeting, then discuss the objectives.
• Talk about the WHY of the meeting and explain what you’ll be doing during the meeting. This is where the prep comes in handy so you can be concise when discussing the topic because everyone wants to get to the fun, right?!

4. Main Activity Time

Let’s get down to business! Now we get to the activity that supports the adventure we’re working on during the meeting. The materials your gathered during meeting prep will be necessary here. You’ll definitely want an Assistant Den Leader at this time – especially if you have more than a few Cubs at your Den meetings.

PRO TIP: Enlist a parent as a Den photographer. Make sure they take a few photos during each meeting to catalog the experience. There’s no need for anything fancy. Just have them snap a few photos with their phone and have them share the photos later. Our Pack and Den uses the Band app, so we post a quick meeting recap each week and my parent phtographer  adds her meeting photos. This is especially helpful to keep families engaged when they see a very active Den and Pack.

5. Talk time & Snack time

While Scoutbook suggests this time come earlier in the Den meeting, I like to have this time at the end. So, as I am finishing the activity with the Cubs, my Assistant Den Leader gathers the parents and begins talk time.

• Use this time to discuss Den and Pack business, upcoming events, collect forms, complete paperwork, etc.
• Our Den also has a small, healthy snack at the end of each meeting, so this is a great time to keep the kids busy with a snack while you talk to parents.
• This is a great time to find out if parents have any lingering questions, chat 1-on-1 with new parents, discuss upcoming events, and just learn more about the parents.

6. Closing

The closing of your Cub Scout Den meeting should be quick and to the point. I like to close my meeting by circling the Scouts up, having them show their Scout Sign, then with their free left hand, grab the wrist of the Scout beside them. Then, once the circle is complete, we recite the following:

ALL: May the Great Scoutmaster of all Scouts be with us until we meet again.

LEADER: Goodnight Scouts!

Recap

When it comes to running a great Cub Scout Den Meeting, remember to be patient with yourself as you’re starting out. Be sure to prep at least 30 minutes for each meeting by reading over that week’s adventure and gathering any materials you might need. Then, for the actual meeting, just be sure to stick with a Den Meeting Timeline and don’t let it run too long.

And lastly, have fun and do your best!