Tiger Cub Scouts Requirements to Earn in December Meetings

Scouting in December is filled with all kinds of holiday joy. Your Tiger Cub Scouts tend to be more animated and excited during this time of the year too! This can make planning December Tiger Cub Scouts Meetings a little tricky. For these reasons we love to plan more active group games and activities or quieter games and activities. You’ll have the best of both worlds depending on your specific Tiger den of scouts.

As always, we begin with looking at the holidays and special events this month. If you don’t already, be sure to plan out your calendar with school breaks and days off in mind as many families plan travel over these days away from school. For these reasons, we usually only plan one den meeting in December. Many Tiger dens have successful made Bobcat rank and Tiger rank by this time of year and so they begin to focus mostly on electives and awards. For our December Tiger Cub Scout meeting, we are focusing on Tiger-iffic.

While, December weather often leaves a bit to desire, we still love to get outside and enjoy nature. This is especially fun after the first snowfall or frost for the area. Your first graders will delight in stomping through the snow or watching as the frost begins to melt. With the New Year quickly approaching, December Tiger meetings can be a great time to reflect on next year and all your scouts want to accomplish plus share some New Year’s resolutions. We find that the Scout Law is a great place to reflect when it comes to New Year’s Resolution, which point does each scout want to better themselves.

For those dens just getting started, that’s okay. We have done for you plans for your first and second Tiger Scout meetings. Tiger meetings and Tiger outings help you to outline your Tiger Scout year, as well as a done for you Tiger Cub Scout Camping Trip to earn Tiger rank.

December Special Events

December is such a special month for scouting and naturally builds in so many opportunities for your scouts to practice the points in the Scout Law. All the winter holidays usually fall in November, however, Hanukkah sometimes begins in November. December is known as national bingo month and write a friend month. The first full week of December is national handwashing week, which is a wonderful time to remind your scouts about proper handwashing techniques.

Tiger Scouts may also find a few special days in December rather fun as well. We love that the first Saturday of December (or really any month) is play outside day. The International day of the Ninja is the 5th, World Trick Shot Day is on the first Tuesday of the month, and Underdog Day is the third Friday of the month. All of these days allow your scouts to show of their special moves. If your scouts love treats, Gingerbread House Day happens to be December 12th, National Cocoa Day is the 13th, and the 18th is National Bake Cookies Day.

Your scouts may also enjoy a few more special days. One silly day in December is National Toilet Paper Day celebrated on the 8th. Look for an Evergreen Day is the 19th and Go Caroling Day is the 20th. To indoor activities can be found in Card Playing Day on the 28th and Make Cut out Snowflakes Day on the 27th.

As you consider shopping for the holidays, we absolutely love to include scouting in our gift giving fun. Think scouting gear, camping equipment, and any special materials that you need for scouting. Some of our favorites include pocketknives, hydration packs, whistles, walking sticks, hiking hats, and rain gear.

December Special Activities

As December begins, your scouts will be super excited for the holidays and winter break from school. For many of the Tiger Cub Scouts, this is a magical time of the year that is never far from their minds. Please do keep in mind that some of your scouts may celebrate different holidays or not celebrate any. Take a moment to learn about your scouts and their traditions.

One of our all time favorite December Cub Scout activities is the candy ball. You will need saran wrap, probably most of a container, and a lot of candy, we love to grab small bags from the dollar store for variety. Start with a few pieces of candy on the saran wrap. Wrap up the candy, while making twists in the saran wrap. Every few wraps or twists add another piece of candy or two. Keep wrapping and twisting until you have a large ball. The more twists, the trickier it will be for the scouts.

To play the game, simply pass the ball to the scouts. Let them know they will need to unwrap the ball by taking turns. Any candy that falls out while they are unwrapping is theirs to keep. One scout begins, unwrapping the saran wrap for a few seconds, then passes the ball to the next. Continue until the scouts unwrap the entire ball.

In honor of National Bingo month, you could play a few rounds of bingo together. Our cub scouts love bingo and there are so many varieties available. You can play standard bingo or look for a winter or holiday bingo too. In honor of National Toilet Paper Day on December 8th, you could make toilet paper snowman from your Tiger Cub Scouts. Another super fun game is a snowball fight. No snow, no worries. Our scouts love to use cardboard boxes to build forts and we use fake snowballs for the fight.

December is a month of special treats too. With Gingerbread House Day, you could build milk carton gingerbread houses, which Tiger Scouts always love. We also love baking cookies together, but if you don’t have access to an oven, there are also no bake cookie varieties too! Adding hot cocoa to any meeting is a special treat. We similar bring along a crockpot and a gallon of chocolate milk and marshmallows. Such a simple treat, just be sure to keep the heat low.

December arts and crafts are always enjoyable too! This is the perfect time to make a gift for the adult partners or your scout’s teacher. Making Christmas or holiday cards is always fun. Repurposing a tin can into a pencil holder, making a hot chocolate or s’mores kit, or a special popsicle picture frame are easy crafts that your scouts can make for others.

With Make Cut Out Snowflake Day, you could also teach your scouts how to make snowflakes to decorate their home. Birdfeeders can go a long way during the winter months too! Our scouts love make pinecone peanut butter and birdseed feeders. Another option is to string cheerios on a pip cleaner. If you buy a multicolored Cheerio box, these can look rather pretty.

Most of these activities can be tied into one of the adventures or done just for fun. Below we will explore a Tiger Scout specific adventure that we love for the month of December.

Tiger-iffic Adventure Requirements

Tiger-iffic is the perfect adventure for December! This adventure is all about playing games, both real and made up games. Scouts will play games independently and with others, which makes this the perfect way to end the year and ring in the next. We have found that this adventure allows our scouts the fun of the holidays while also earning a fun adventure too!

1. Play at least two different games by yourself; one may be a video game.
2. Play a board game or another inside game with one or more members of your den.
3. PLay a problem-solving game with your den.
4. With your parent’s or guardian’s permission, do the following: play a video game with family members or den members in a tournament, list at least 3 tips that would help someone who was learning how to play your favorite video game, play an appropriate video game with a friend for 30 minutes.
5. With other members of your den, invent a game OR change the rules of a game you know, and play the game.
6. Play a team game with your den.

Tiger-iffic Meeting Agenda for Tiger Cub Scouts

Before the meeting, ask each family to bring their favorite board game to play. You will make time for this at the end of the meeting. We usually plan about 30 minutes.

We love to begin our meeting with a team problem-solving game to tie in requirement 3 and 6. One of our favorites is the balloon pass game where the scouts need to try to pass the balloon from one end of the line to the other without using their hands. Another option is to play a game of keep the balloon in the air from one side of the room to the other.

We also love a good marble game, but for December, we play with a round ornament. Given just a few supplies which can be really anything. We love to use boxes, scouts coats or shoes, pots and pans, or even books, scouts try to move the ornament from one side of the room to the other without the ornament touching the floor or any of the scouts body parts. For an added challenge, scouts can only move when the ornament isn’t touching anything they are holding.

Looking for something a little more traditional, try Headbandz with a twist. Each scout receives one point from the Scout Law. They wear their trait on their forehead where they cannot see it. The scouts need to try to guess the trait on their forehead by asking questions.

The next step is to play a game by yourself. Your scouts will need to play two games by themselves to complete requirement 1. As one of the games can be a video game, you could probably just plan one game to play at the meeting and ask each scout to play a video game or a second game at home. As a way to reinforce the Scout Law, you could have each scout play a matching game where they match the traits with their meaning. Another idea would be to match pictures of the bobcat requirements with their names.

If someone brings in the Simon Game, each scout could try a turn playing this individual game. A deck of cards could be used to teach solitaire or accordion. Dominos can be another fun game to play independently or as a problem solving game with your den. If you happened to make the cup in a ball game during your November meeting, this could count here as well. If not, you could make this game as well.

Finally, you will want to provide time for the scouts to play the different board games that they brought. Have each scout introduce the board games brought in. The scouts and adult partners can choose which games to play. Since groups can play together, it’s no big deal if someone forgets a board game.

Tiger-iffic Crafts

Your scouts could invent their own board game as a Tiger-iffic craft for requirement 5. If you follow the agenda above, requirement 5 is extra. We love to give our scouts a generic board game and a blank spinner.

To make the board, simply give your scouts a large sheet of paper and some colorful squares. Your scouts can glue the squares on the paper to make their game board. We just ask that the squares touch on a side. Then scouts can write the play instructions on some of the squares. We find it helpful to brainstorm some ideas before beginning.

• Lose a Turn
• Go Again
• Move Forward Two
• Move Backward One
• Switch Places with another Player

To create the spinner, each scout needs a paper circle of any size. You can let the scouts divide the circle or you can draw the spinner sections in advance. We find 4 – 6 sections to be enough. Allow your scouts to label the sections. Some scouts like to use numbers, some colors, some another idea altogether. Then place a paperclip in the center as the spinner, use a pencil in the middle to hold the paperclip in place when spinning.

Last, your scouts will need to determine the winning rules for the game. How does a player win? Do they reach the end, gather so many points, knock the other players off the board, etc.

Another craft is the ball in a cup game. These were super simple to make and so much fun for the scouts to work on eye hand coordination. All you will need is plastic or paper cups, some string or yarn, and buttons or balls. Plus you will want something to poke a hole in the bottom of the cup.

1. Poke a hole in the bottom of the cups. 1 cup per scout
2. Tie a button or ball to one end of the string. 1 per scout
3. Thread the string through the hole in the cup.
4. Tie a button or ball to the other end of the string. If using a ball, wrap the string around the ball in multiple directions to hold the ball steady inside before tying.
5. Then the scouts try to swing the ball and have the ball go inside the cup.

December Service Projects for Tiger Cub Scouts

We try to offer a service project each month and December is no exception. Service is such a big part of scouting and helps to grow youth that help others. Multiple adventures require service projects too and offering a few always helps those busy families.

Military Care Packages

Our military members love to receive some holiday cheer, especially those that cannot be with their families during this time of year. Ask your scouts to create a Christmas or holiday card for a member in the military. We usually try to include some non-perishable food items and personal hygiene items too. If each scout brings a few personal hygiene items, you’ll have plenty to make a few care packages to send.

Senior Center Visit – Bingo Game

With December as National Bingo Month, this is the perfect time to volunteer at your local senior center or nursing homes. The residents love to see the scouts and often times enjoy their tales so much. Plan a bingo night for the residents led by your scouts. What a great public speaking event. Be sure to have a large visual way to show the numbers called and maybe offer a few prizes too! The prizes could be things made by the scouts or personal hygiene items that seniors love to receive. If your scouts are so inclined, bringing along a few handmade holiday cards is always a nice gesture for the residents.

Write Thank You Cards

Thank you cards are a great service project for the busy family. Your scouts can make cards for service men and women, first responders like firefighters and police officers, busy hospital staff, or even their teachers. Taking a moment to remember all the hard work others do is such a good reflection opportunity for your Tiger Cub Scouts.

Toys for Tots Drive or Sponsor a Family for the Holidays

With the holidays coming it can be difficult for Tiger Cub Scouts to remember that others may not be as fortunate as they are during the year. You can host a toys for tots drive where all the scouts donate a new unwrapped toy. Just set up a collection date and time. Or you can work with another local organization, college, church, or school to sponsor a family. Scouts can purchase 1 or 2 presents for each member of the family to help another family have a wonderful holiday as well.

Help Serve at a Soup Kitchen or Homeless Shelter

With the weather turning colder, more and more homeless people seek shelter and are looking for warm meals. Take a day to volunteer to help clean up, prepare, or serve food to others who are less fortunate. Tiger Cub Scouts can successfully help bus tables, wipe down tables, and talk to guests.

Volunteer at a Tree Lot Partnered with a Service Organization

Many wonderful organizations sell Christmas trees and wreaths. They love having young scouts available who can help customers walk the lot or sell wreaths. This can be a fun outdoor community service project for scouts in December.

Chalk the Sidewalks with Holiday Wishes

For the busy family, we love chalking the sidewalk with holiday wishes. All you’ll need is some sidewalk chalk and your scouts. Scouts can decorate the sidewalks in their neighborhood to bring some holiday cheer to their neighbors. With permission, you could decorate the sidewalks at local schools, business, or parks as well. These messages and pictures bring some joy to others.

Tiger Cub Scouts December Outings

We try to plan at least one den outing with our Tiger Cub Scouts each month. In December, you can try an evergreen hike, Christmas light walk, singing Christmas carols or sledding. For outings, we often ask our scouts to wear their Class B uniform. This is usually a pack or den t-shirt or other comfortable clothing. However, sometimes you may wish for your scouts to wear their Class A uniform. It is your choice as the leader which uniform your scouts wear.

Snowshoe Hiking

While the temperatures might be cold, hiking in December can be quite fun for Tiger Scouts. If you happen to get snow in your area, plan a snowshoe hike with your Tiger Cub Scouts. Walking on snow is a skill that takes practice and using snowshoes can be rather difficult at first, but soon becomes second nature. For your first trip, plan a large open area, preferably flat. Ask your scouts to wear snowpants so that when they fall (as they usually do), they stay dry and have a little extra padding.

On your hike, take time to explore the animal tracks. Snow can make tracks even more obvious for young scouts. Plus the scouts can find plants that have been nibbled or rubbed against too. Identifying Evergreen trees can be rather fun too, especially since December 19th is Look for an Evergreen Day. With so many trees having lost their leaves, this is the perfect time to explore Evergreen trees and their differences with Tiger Cub Scouts.

Christmas Light Walk

Christmas light displays are everywhere. Our Tiger Cub Scouts love taking a walk around their neighborhoods and viewing the different lights around their neighborhood. This is such a fun time to get out and enjoy some holiday spirit with your Tiger Cub Scouts. Bring along a hot cocoa for each scout and a few candy canes for a treat.

You can easily pair this walk with caroling or looking for an Evergreen. Most neighborhoods will have a few different Evergreen trees and plants to explore.

Attend a Tree Lighting Ceremony

Many local towns offer a tree lighting ceremony. These ceremonies are a great time to get together with your Tiger Cub Scouts outside. Not only do the local towns usually plan other festivities, but all the scouting families can attend too. You will usually have a snack station with hot cocoa. Sometimes these cost a few dollars.

With most tree lighting ceremoneies, Santa Claus attends for pictures. There is usually music and dancing for the scouts. Some towns combine a touch a truck like event too. Do a little research so that you can be more prepared before planning to attend a tree lighting ceremony.

You may even be able to contact the event organizers to host a flag ceremony lead by your scouts. Another option is for your Tiger Scouts to hand out programs or help with the snack station or clean up.

Play Outside

The first Saturday of each month is play outside day. With the weather changing in December, this can be a great time to explore the outdoors with your Tiger Cub Scouts. Plan a park playdate or nature scavenger hunt with your Tiger den. Allow the scouts to play in the snow, building forts, hosting a snowball fight, or making snow angels. Time to explore in nature is an important part of scouting.

Go Christmas (Winter) Caroling

Christmas (Winter) Caroling is such an inspirational activity to try with your scouts. Simply print off a few Christmas carols and decide on a play to go caroling. Some people love caroling inside at local senior centers, nursing homes, or apartment complexes. If you want to try an outdoor caroling, you can add caroling to a Christmas Light Walk or sing carols at a local park as people walk by with their families or dogs.

Try Sledding

Out Tiger Cub Scouts love sledding. After a beautiful snowfall, plan a weekday trip to a sled hill near you. We love to ask all the families to bring a sled or two of their own. This provides a nice variety of sleds for the scouts to view, try out, and compare. Some scouts will love round sleds while others will prefer the longer sleds. Scouts may enjoy sledding with friends or sledding alone.

Be sure to remind your families to dress for the weather. Scouts will need snowpants, jackets, hats, gloves, and boots. They may also wish to bring along handwarmers and hot cocoa to stay warm while outside. We have had some luck grabbing a hot cocoa box from a local donut shop.

We’d Love to Connect with You!

Good luck with your December Tiger Cub Scouts meetings. If you are only able to plan one meeting this month, that’s okay! Don’t stress out about needing to do everything, especially with the holiday break. Some families love meeting over winter break, while others prefer to have family time then. Hopefully our Tiger December meeting plans were a big help with your planning. Our den sure had a lot of fun.

Leave a comment below and let us know if you’ve earned your Tiger-iffic requirements. What worked well for you? What would you have tried differently? Did your scouts love the adventures as much as ours? If you are looking for more Cub Scout leader tips, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter below.

Hi, I’m Nicole.

Here at Creatingbutterflies we provide families with practical solutions to real life problems for everything parenting, scouting, dual language, and enjoying time outdoors. We are a family of 6 with 4 wonderful becoming bilingual children who loves scouting, camping, and hiking with their family. Mom is an educator and dad is a firefighter/paramedic.