In the United States, wards are still participating in the Cub Scout program in addition to the “Faith in God” booklets. This is a great program for your son, and can teach him about safety, hard work, and many other things. In the church the boys do not start Cub Scouts until they turn eight years old. It is important that you continue to work with your son on the “Faith in God” award as well as Scouts. The programs overlap in many areas, so you should be able to easily achieve both goals. Here are five tips to make Cub Scouts a positive experience for your family.
1) Have your son attend all the Cub Scout meetings. This will help him to make friends with boys in his pack. It will also insure that he is passing off goals along with his pack, which will help him in the advancement process.
2) Cub Scouts is very focused on family involvement. This means that you will need to work on passing off the achievements and activities at home as a family. You can incorporate some of the goals into family home evening ideas, or fun Saturday activities. Each activity teaches a skill or interesting fact. It is worth your time to participate.
3) Attend the monthly pack meetings with your son. This is very important because your son needs to feel your support and encouragement. Parents give their children the patches that they have earned. Pack meetings also inform you of what activities are coming up and ways that you can help out.
4) Be sure that you take the time to flip through the “Faith in God” booklet each time you are working on a goal. The goals do overlap in some ways, and you may just need to add a step or two in, and you have passed off a goal in this booklet as well.
5) If you have concerns talk to your son’s leaders. This is especially true if your son has special needs, because the leaders might not know the best way to help your son have an enjoyable experience. Everyone should feel welcome and wanted at Cub Scouts.