Bobcat

No matter what age or grade a boy joins Cub Scouting, he must earn his Bobcat badge before he can advance to the rank of Tiger Cub, Wolf, Bear, or Webelos. A Cub Scout must complete the Bobcat requirements, which include:

• Learn and say the Scout Oath and the Scout Law, with help if needed;
• Say the Cub Scout motto and tell what it means; and
• Show the Cub Scout sign, salute, and handshake and tell what they mean.

(Click on the Rank below to learn more)

Tiger Cub

For boys in 1st grade or 7 years old

Each Tiger Cub joins the pack together with his Adult Partner. The Adult Partner will accompany the Tiger Cub at all den, pack, and council events.

As the Tiger Cub finishes each part of the five Tiger Cub achievements, he earns an orange bead (for den activities), a white bead (for family activities), or a black bead (for “Go See Its”). When the Tiger Cub has earned five beads of each color, he can receive his Tiger Cub badge. The Tiger Cub badge is awarded at the annual Blue & Gold Banquet or a pack meeting.

Wolf

For boys in 2nd grade or 8 years old

To earn the Wolf badge, a Cub Scout must pass 12 achievements. His parent or guardian approves each achievement by signing his handbook. When the Cub Scout has met all requirements, the Wolf badge is awarded at the annual Blue & Gold Banquet or a pack meeting.

After he has earned the Wolf badge, a Wolf Cub Scout can work on the 23 Wolf electives. He can choose from more than 100 elective projects that may show him new hobbies and teach him skills that will be useful during his Boy Scout years. When he completes 10 elective projects, he earns a Gold Arrow Point to wear under the Wolf badge. For each 10 elective projects after that, he earns a Silver Arrow Point.

Bear

For boys in 3rd or grade or 9 years old

There are 24 Bear achievements in four groups. A Cub Scout must complete 12 of the achievements to become a Bear Cub Scout. These requirements are harder and more challenging than those for the Wolf badge. When a Cub Scout has met all requirements, the Bear badge is awarded at the annual Blue & Gold Banquet or a pack meeting. He may work on electives to earn Arrow Points to wear under his Bear badge.

Webelos

For boys in 4th grade or 10 years old

The Webelos program (I and II) is a two-year program which is different from the Cub Scout den program. Everything in the Webelos Scout program is more challenging than what younger boys in the pack do. Webelos Scouts get to work on the 20 Webelos activity badges, which are worn on the distinctive “Webelos Colors”:

Webelos Scouts work on requirements during their weekly den meetings. Once a boy learns a skill, he practices it at den meetings and at home on his own. His family helps him at home. A Webelos Scout bring the projects they do at home to the den meetings to show others and to have the Webelos den leader approve his project.

When a Webelos Scout has completed the requirements for an activity badge, the Webelos den leader, rather than a parent, approves most of the activity badges. It takes three activity badges, including Fitness and Citizen, to earn the Webelos badge.

Besides earning activity badges, Webelos Scouts can earn the compass points emblem. This emblem is awarded after a Webelos Scout has earned seven activity badges. For each four activity badges a Webelos Scout earns after that, he receives a compass point—east, west, north, and south.

Arrow of Light

For boys in 5th grade

During the second year of the Webelos program, after earning the Webelos badge, Webelos Scouts work toward the requirements for highest rank in Cub Scouting, the Arrow of Light Award. Earning this rank prepares a Webelos Scout to become a Boy Scout. Webelos Scouts who have earned the Arrow of Light Award have also completed all requirements for the Boy Scout badge.

This award is the only Cub Scout badge that can be worn on the Boy Scout uniform when a boy graduates into a troop. Adult leaders who earned the Arrow of Light Award when they were young may also show their achievement by wearing a special square knot on their adult uniform.