Cub Scouts
Where most Scouting journeys begin — and where families join in every step of the way.
What is Cub Scouts?
Cub Scouts is Scouting America’s program for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. It is a family-oriented program built around age-appropriate adventures that teach the foundations of leadership, citizenship, personal fitness, and character. Cub Scouts is where boys and girls make their first friendships in Scouting, discover the outdoors, and begin building the confidence that will carry them through the rest of their Scouting journey and beyond.
What sets Cub Scouts apart from other youth activities is the role of the family. Parents and legal guardians aren’t just dropping their Scouts off at meetings — they’re active participants in the fun. Whether that means helping build a pinewood derby car, camping together as a family, or joining a den meeting, Cub Scouts is designed to bring families closer while the Scouts themselves grow in skills and confidence.
How Cub Scouts works
Cub Scouts are organized into local packs, and each pack is divided into smaller dens based on grade level. Dens typically meet twice a month, and the entire pack comes together once a month for a pack meeting that includes ceremonies, recognition, games, and family activities.
Weekly and monthly meetings
Dens typically meet twice a month at times that work for participating families. The whole pack gathers once a month for larger events, ceremonies, and family fun.
Family-led program
Parents and guardians run the program together, with support from national training and local mentoring. Every family contributes something, and no one does it alone.
Grade-based dens
Scouts learn alongside other kids in their grade and/or age group, building friendships with classmates and moving through age-appropriate adventures together.
Adventures and advancement
Cub Scout activities center on adventures — hands-on experiences in the outdoors, in the community, and at home that build practical skills and reinforce Scouting values. As Cub Scouts complete adventures, they earn colorful loops and pins that go on their uniform, and each grade level has its own rank badge to work toward.
The Pinewood Derby
One of Cub Scouting’s most beloved traditions. Scouts and a parent or guardian work together to build a small wooden racing car from a kit, then race their cars in a friendly pack-wide competition. It’s part engineering project, part family bonding, and completely unforgettable.
Outdoor adventures
Getting Scouts outdoors is at the heart of Cub Scouting. Local packs organize regular outdoor activities — hikes, nature walks, fishing trips, and outdoor games — while Gulf Coast Council offers larger events throughout the year.
Pack overnighters
Cub Scout families camp together at approved sites, giving Scouts their first real camping experience with the safety net of a parent right there.
Cub Scout Day Camp
Multi-day summer camps run by the council where Cub Scouts can shoot BB guns and archery, swim, fish, and try activities they can’t do at pack meetings.
Family camp at STSR
Weekend camping events at Spanish Trail Scout Reservation designed for whole families, including younger siblings, to experience camp life together.
Who runs the program?
Cub Scout packs are led by trained volunteers — almost always parents and guardians of Scouts in the pack. The pack is guided by a Cubmaster and a Pack Committee, while each individual den is led by a Den Leader. Every registered adult volunteer completes Safeguarding Youth Training and a background check before working with Scouts.
Cub Scouts is designed to work even when parents have no prior Scouting experience. Scouting America provides free online training, printed leader guides, and local mentoring so any family who wants to be involved can jump in with confidence.
Ready to find a Cub Scout pack?
Use our program finder to see units near you and connect with a local pack leader.
