7 of the Best Cub Scout Recruitment Ideas

Looking for activities for your Cub Scout recruitment, roundup, or signup night? Find 7 great ideas that will make your recruiting night a success!

Those of us who are already involved in Cub Scouts know how much fun it can be for kids, but if someone has never been exposed to Scouting, we need to have some good Cub Scout recruitment activities.

Many packs hold a recruiting event just after school starts in the fall. It may be called a “Round Up,” a “Scout Rally Night,” or a “Join Cub Scouts Event.”

Regardless of the name, this is an important event for your pack. A Cubmaster was recently interviewed on CubCast (a BSA scouting podcast) about how he is so successful in recruiting new Cub Scouts.

What he said stuck with me. He is “selling fun to the kids,” and he is “marketing positive experiences to the parents.”

This article includes seven Cub Scout recruitment ideas to start your brainstorming. These activities are designed to be used at a recruiting event. 

Some of them will need a lot of lead time and volunteers, and some can be pulled off quickly with just a few adults.

Cub Scout Bike Rodeo

A bike rodeo is a great community service event! However, it will take some time to organize. There are many online sources available to help with the planning process.

One of the best that I have seen is from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They call the event a cycling skills clinic rather than a bike rodeo, but I like bike rodeo better!

You can download their three resources here:

Cycling Skills Clinic Guide
Cycling Skills Clinic Appendices
Cycling Skills Sample Letters

The Utah Department of Health has a great Bicycle Skills Rodeo Packet that explains 14 bicycle safety skills stations you can have at your rodeo.

You'll also want to check out my article about bicycle safety printable activities and the BSA resources.

Cub Scout Recycled Raingutter Regatta

This recruitment event is good for the environment! The Cub Scouts build boats from recyclable items then race them raingutter regatta-style.

Cub Scout Rocket Academy

A couple of years ago, my Cub Scout pack held a Rocket Academy as our recruitment event. It was pretty awesome! While it was a success, we learned a few things that could have made it even better.

You can host a more streamlined Rocket Academy with just one rocket. One of the simplest rockets to make and shoot off is the Alka-Seltzer rocket.

Your rockets can be very simple projects, or you can make them a bit more elaborate by adding fins and a nose. Add a rocket fuel drink, and you're ready to go!

S'mores Campfire Party

What says “Cub Scouts” more than a campfire?  And you can't have a campfire without s'mores, right?

Plan this like a regular campfire with each den doing a skit or a song.  To make it even more fun, your leaders should do a skit or song–the sillier the better!

These super simple campfire skits don't require props or even much practice!

Have someone bring a portable fire pit and the s'mores fixings, and you're ready to go. Even if it's hot and it isn't dark when you host your event, I guarantee you'll have Scouts begging their parents to sign them up!

Ice Cream Social Recruitment Event

If you just can't bear the thought of a hot campfire, consider a cool ice cream social.  Plan a few fun games for the kids then let them build their own ice cream sundaes. 

You might want to set the sundae bar up outside so that a good hosing down is all the clean up necessary. 🙂

Geocaching Event

If you don't know much about geocaching, you can read my How to Geocache article. Check out a great resource and other details about how to plan and execute this awesome activity as a recruitment event for your pack.

Cub Scout Creators Recruitment Event

For this make & take event, set up two or three tables with quick, fun projects for the kids to build. Here are some neat ideas that I found around the internet.

Courtesy of Almost Unschoolers	Courtesy of Red Ted Art

Courtesy of Over the Big Moon	What can your Cubs dream up to build?

I hope these Cub Scout recruitment ideas are helpful to your pack.  Leave me a comment, and let me know what kinds of activities you do at your Cub Scout recruitment event.

Yours in Scouting,
Sherry

P.S. Check out this post to help you have an epic first Cub Scout den meeting!