Bobcat Rank Advancement
Here’s How to Help Your Scout Earn Bobcat
No matter what age or grade a youth joins Cub Scouting, they must earn the Bobcat badge before advancing to the rank of Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos, or Arrow of Light – currently the official rule is that Kindergarten Lion Scouts don’t get recorded credit for the Bobcat badge until after earning Lion (but a Scout is Kind, so if your Kindergarten Lion completes the Bobcat requirements, it is only fair to award the Badge). To complete the Bobcat requirements, a youth must:
- Learn and repeat the Scout Oath and the Scout Law, with help if needed
- Say the Cub Scout motto - Do Your Best! - and tell what it means.
- Show the Cub Scout sign, salute, and handshake, and tell what they mean
- With a parent or guardian, complete the exercises in the pamphlet “How to Protect Your Children from Child Abuse: A Parent’s Guide” (also found in any of the Cub Scout Handbooks)
Ideas for how to earn Bobcat and make it fun for Cub Scouts – and easy for new parents to lead – are found on this Bobcat Advancement Resource page, which has both fun den group activity ideas, including some great “first activity” plans with parts for all parents to lead and succeed with the den of Scouts. It also has family-led adventure resources for parents to do on their own schedules, some of which are also found on our Scouting on Demand Bobcat resource page. Kindergarten Lions will do most of the requirements for Bobcat as part of the Lion program – that’s a strong reason why we encourage you to award the Bobcat patch to Lions who’ve completed the requirements (it’s just not fair to hold it back).
