Lions now an approved Cub Scout program for kindergarten age youth
Our Council is gearing up the official pilot for Lions, a new Scouting program for kindergarten-age youth. Sounds simple, right? Isn’t it just a matter of adding a new rank to Cub Scouting?… Not so fast! Although there are similarities, there are also differences between Lions and the core Cub Scouting program and we’re here to break it all down for you.

The Lion program, like all Scouting programs, weaves the concepts of character development, leadership skills, personal fitness, and citizenship into activities that are age-appropriate and fun.
Lion Adventures, Uniforms and Pack Involvement
“Adventures” (themed sets of activities and experiences) will assist Lion families in exploring the world around them. As they complete the requirements for each adventure, Lions will earn an adventure sticker to be placed in their Lion Adventure Book. Lions earn stickers, not adventure loops (belt loops) as they will do in Cub Scouting. Additionally, Lions will be led by parents filling the role of “Lion Guides” and will meet as dens of six to eight kindergarten-age youth.
Lions will wear their own approved uniform, a Lion t-shirt! It will be available in Scout Shops to help the Lions feel unique and special. Lions should not wear the Cub Scout uniform until they are old enough to officially transition into Cub Scouting as a Tiger.
Lion dens may be invited to participate in a few pack meetings, but care should be taken to ensure that any meetings they attend are fun and engaging for youth of Lion age, Late nights, long meetings, lots of sitting and listening should be avoided for Cub Scouts and Lions, alike. Instead, meaningful and fun activities should be planned for Lions in any meetings they attend. At the end of the kindergarten year, Lions will graduate into the Tiger handbook – where even more fun and adventure will await!
Next Steps
Our Council has been approved to part of the official Lions Pilot, and will be in working with the national Program Development Department for further study, on how this can better the Scouting program across the nation. Since its announcement a few weeks ago, the Lions pilot program has generated much enthusiasm! Please join in that excitement as we test new ways to reach America’s youth with the benefits of Scouting!
More information, including program specifics and FAQ’s, will be made available in the coming months so check on Scouting Wire for the latest updates.