Family Involvement in Cub Scouts

Cub Scouting is a family program. But the challenge is encouraging family involvement in Cub Scouts. A Scout whose parent in engaged in the program is more likely to stay in the program.

But how do we accomplish that? How can we get parents more involved in the Cub Scouts program?

Here are my top three ways to get families engaged in Cub Scouting:

Be clear that Cub Scouting is a family program

When parents are sitting off to the side at a pack meeting looking at their phones, the pack meeting can get wild and out of hand. One way to encourage family involvement at pack meetings is to explain what is expected of them. I tell our parents that I can’t possibly keep my eyes on that many kids. I explain that they are responsible for the health and safety of their children at pack events. And I repeat that instruction as often as I feel is necessary.

Let the siblings come

Some parents indicate that they would like to be more involved, but they have other kids they need to care for, often younger siblings. We always tell them that siblings are welcome at our pack events. They can’t earn awards and they won’t be leading ceremonies, but I try to include them as much as possible.

Ask parents to do one specific task within their comfort zone

Find out what the parents do for a living, their hobbies, and what they are passionate about. Then ask them to help with a related task. A health care professional can help teach first aid. A coach can lead a few sports related games at a pack meeting. They might not want to be a “Scout leader” because they don’t know anything about Scouting, but they all know about something. So the key is to find their comfort zone.

What are your top ways to encourage parent involvement in Cub Scouts? Add them to the comments below.