Badges
Badges make up a big part of Scouting. They are a great way of tracking progress, showing achievement and building confidence and self-esteem.
There’s never any pressure to earn badges. Young people can work towards as many or as few as they choose.
Some badges will be awarded when the young person is first invested, some are earnt during Scouting sessions, and some can be earnt at home.
Challenge awards take multiple sessions to earn.
Activity badges can be easier to earn and may need to be completed at home.
Staged activity badges are like activity badges, but with increasing difficulty levels available (Stage 1, 2, 3, etc). Only the highest level achieved should be sewn on to the uniform. Lower numbers must be removed.
Where do they go?
Some badges do not go on the uniform. They are called “fun badges” or “blanket badges” and are often awarded at camps or for special activities. Traditionally these are sewn on to a camp blanket, but some people also use a poncho, shirt or hoodie for their badges. Spare badges, like old staged badges or badges from an old uniform, can also go on the camp blanket.
Can I have more badges?
Yes!
While some badges, especially the hexagonal Challenge Award badges, need to be leader led, there are lots of badges that can be earnt at home.
The leaders are always happy to look at any badge work completed at home and will try to fit into an upcoming session if needed to complete one of the requirements (for example, “show other Scouts what you have achieved”).
Why not earn as many badges as possible at home? It’s possible some badges are already completed, and you don’t know it!
Let leaders know when starting to work towards a badge, and write down everything you do so they can check it and award the badge in session.
Badges you may want to work towards at home:
- Animal Carer
- Artist
- Book Reader
- Chef
- Collector
- Cyclist
- Gardener
- Hobbies
- Home Help
- Musician
- Photographer
- Sports
- Sports Enthusiast
- Swimmer
- Writer
Find all badge requirements at Scouts.org.uk.