The Best Knot Tying Resources for Cub Scouts

Knot tying is an essential skill for many outdoor activities. If they’re going to participate in them, every Cub Scout or Scout BSA needs to know how to tie knots.

But knots aren’t just for the outdoors. We usually don’t think about how we use knots at home. We tie our shoes, we tie a package, and we even tie our own neckties. We can’t forget that for some folks, knot tying is a hobby.

In the 2024 Cub Scout program, not many of the adventures require the Scouts to tie knots. I hope that they’ll add knot skills to adventures in the next iteration of the program.

This post will help you find great resources to help teach the Scouts how to tie knots.

Learning something is always more fun if you can do it with a game. Check out these cool knot-tying games for kids.

Check out this knot tying printable PDF guide over in my Etsy shop! It’s a perfect resource to help the Scouts.

Online Knot Tying Resources

My absolute favorite resource is Animated Knots by Grog. What I love about this site is that while you play the video, you can stop on any step. Simply click on the number of the step in the bottom left corner of the video.

To always have this resource with you, download the iPhone app or the iPad app through my affiliate links. Google Play has an Android app too. These apps are about $5 each, but they are well worth the money.

Another good online resource is Scout Life. The video demonstrations can be slowed down to help you follow along.

For a great Cub Scout knot tying handout, check this one out that I created for my Etsy shop. A printed “how to tie knots” pdf can be helpful for the Scouts.

Knot Tying Practice

The best way for our Cub Scouts to learn how to tie knots is by practicing them over and over. In fact, knot tying is a great gathering activity. It’s also a quick filler if your planned activity doesn’t take as long as you thought.

I bought clothesline rope and cut it into 6′ pieces–one for every kid.  The rope will need to be whipped or fused.

Keep the rope in your den bucket so you’ll have it at every meeting. I put the rope in a zip top bag with copies of the “how to tie knots” pdf. That way,  we had what we needed to tie knots at any den meeting.

Do you need to spice up your Scouts’ knot tying practice? Think Fun has an awesome game called Knot So Fast. Kids (and adults) will love the 40 challenges in this knot tying race game. What better way to practice your knot tying skills than with a fun game?

What ideas do have for teaching the skill of knot tying to your Cub Scouts?

Yours in Scouting,
Sherry

P.S. If you liked this Cub Scout activity, sign up below for more fun pack meeting and den meeting ideas!