As a parent of a 9 year old boy, I am always on the look out for fun activities for boys. That is one of the reasons I love Boy Scouts of America. Their Cub Scout division makes it easy for me to find fun activities to do with my son. They are always having some fun event planned where we go fishing, or camping, or where the den meets to learn new things. What is even better is not only do they take the work out of finding and planning fun activities to do with my son, but I also enjoy knowing that these activities build skills and character. This post is sponsored by Boy Scouts of America but all opinions expressed are my own.
Boy Scouts of America: Fun Activities For Boys That Build Character
My son began Boys Scouts of America in first grade as a Tiger Cub and he is going into his fourth year of Cub Scouts this year. I often find myself chatting with other parents and suggesting they consider Boy Scouts as a potential extracurricular activity for their son. I love it. It is an extracurricular activity that welcomes family involvement instead of just dropping your son off. It is an extracurricular activity where you son won’t feel pressured to compete and win. Scouting is full of fun activities for boys that build character and create a brotherhood of boys playing, working, and learning together. These kinds of extracurricular activities help students develop self-confidence, ethics, and leadership skills.
Try New Activities
Boys Scouts of America offers so many new experiences! Cub Scouts has offered my son the opportunity to go fishing way more often, to go camping and hiking more often, and to try out archery for the first time. They have tried out new fun things like launching bottle rockets and cooking over campfires. There is always a new fun activity and usually they come along with life lessons that they learn while they are having a great time.
Learn New Things
Many den meetings are specifically designed around learning something new. A big new skill last year for my little Bear Cub was to learn how to safely handle a pocket knife and earn his Cub Scout Whittling Chip Patch. They also learn how to do fun things like transform a block of wood with their own Pinewood Derby Car Designs for each year’s Derby Race.
Popcorn Sales
I am totally impressed with the way Boy Scouts do their annual popcorn sales. It is such a great way for boys to build self-confidence, learn manners, and reinforce ethical standards. Every year my son signs up for a few slots to sell popcorn in front of Kroger with a few other Cub Scouts. It has been so good at helping my son learn to speak up so he can be heard. He also learned that tone is important to success. He has learned that a positive attitude makes it more fun for him and he is more successful that way too. It helps teaches him to be polite and interact with adults in a professional manner. He also learns to take responsibility for himself and help raise money for his fun activities.
Provide Service
Another fun activity for boys is providing service to others. It is good for them to learn to have joy in helping others. Last year we had a day where we helped at a local church and the boys served the homeless food. I think it made my son feel good to be doing something helpful and he sat down at the dinner table and spoke with several of the homeless.
Opportunity for Awards and Recognitions
Some boys get totally into awards and recognition. For those boys, there are more than 90 awards a Cub Scout can earn! It is great for boys to be able to earn adventure loops and/or pins for learning and doing. But they also don’t have to feel pressured and they can go at their own rate. Boys also get the chance to participate in the various parades each year and flag ceremonies.
Family Welcome
Many of the events are for the whole family and siblings (even sisters) are welcomed. It is a great way to build those family bonds as you watch your son learn and grow and make new friends.
Scouting promotes activities that lead to personal responsibility and high self-esteem. At an early age, boys get to involved with a group and get to improve their social development. They also learn skills that they can use throughout life and which helps improve how they feel about themselves. My son is a involved in music and sports as well but Boy Scouts is a great compliment and keeps him well rounded. I love that Scouting offers so many fun activities for boys that set the foundation for character development and life skills.
New Lion Program
My son started in Scouting the first chance he got. For him that was first grade but now they are introducing a new Lion Program for kindergarten-age boys. It is available as a national pilot for select councils this Fall.” The Lion program weaves traditional Scouting concepts of character development, leadership activities, personal fitness and citizenship into activities that are age-appropriate and fun for the boys and their parents.”*
#Scouting Is Fun- Get Involved!
Interested in Scouting as a extracurricular activity for your son? You can learn more about Boy Scouts of America at scouting.org or Facebook. Feel free to share your own ideas or stories about scouting in the comments or on social media using #scouting. What are your favorite fun activities for boys?
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Lisa says
Great post… totally agree.
My son crossed over to Boy Scouts this Spring.
GO Scouting!