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Scout starter programme

To get you started with your Scouts meetings, we’ve put together a ready-made programme that you can run for 12 weeks (a full term). 

Quick links

The programme sets out 12 sessions. Each session includes a suggested opening and closing ceremony, a game, and an activity to get everyone involved.  You can click on these links to discover more detailed information to support your delivery of the session: 

  • What you’ll need to do the activity (e.g. equipment, resources and space)
  • Instructions on how to do the activity 
  • What badge requirements it covers 
  • A reflection activity 
  • What safety considerations are needed for the activity 
  • How the activity can be made more challenging 
  • How the activity can be made accessible 

Your Troop will explore different aspects of the Scouts programme. They’ll get to know each other, gain new skills and try a range of different activities. 

Remember to practice the Scout Promise and Scout sign every time you meet so your Scouts can be invested and get their Membership Award. 

Every Troop is unique, and it’s important you adapt the structure of your session to make it work for everyone. The sessions vary from 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours – feel free to adapt the sessions to work for the length of your meeting. Each session has suggestions to shorten them if needed or add in a few games to make them longer. 

Most people find that a structure works well when it gives young people the chance to: 

  • Start with an opening ceremony.
  • Get stuck into an activity – this makes up the bulk of your session.
  • Play a game or two.  
  • End with a closing ceremony. 

Each session, the Scouts will work towards a badge. If you follow this 12 week programme, your Scouts will fully complete three badges in their first term. They’ll also have worked towards the majority of two more. You can continue these in later terms to finish them off, as many Scouts badges have requirements that need to be repeated over time.  

The starter programme works best in order, as some sessions build on others, but you can swap or miss some sessions out based on what works for your Troop, the resources you have, and (most importantly) the weather. 

By following this starter programme, your Scouts will fully earn the following badges: 

They will also complete: 

To award the Team Challenge Award, you’ll need to plan in 3 more Troop or Patrol forums, where young people can share their ideas to shape the programme. You could use this activity to help. This will meet requirement 4. 

To award the Scouts Forester Activity Badge, you’ll need to explore requirement 6: show how to fell and trim out a tree or lay a hedge. Here’s an activity to give you some ideas. 

Within the starter programme, there’s the opportunity to plant trees in your local community and explore somewhere where trees are growing like a maintained forest or Christmas tree farm. If this is hard to organise in your area, you could plant trees in your own meeting space (either outside or in pots), use a local allotment or arrange a visit from someone who has experience of growing trees.  

Useful information to help with the starter programme:

To watch in full screen, double click the video

Use the activity finder

To watch in full screen, double click the video

Use the Programme Planning Tool

Jump into your first term of Scouts

This is a great session to start with, as it allows new Scouts to start getting to know each other and work together in a team. 

By the end of the session, each Scout will have had the chance to learn everyone’s names, play some games and overcome a challenge together. 

This session is 1 hour and 30 minutes, but feel free to adapt as needed to suit your session length. 

In this session, Scouts will work towards:  

This session continues to build relationships and offers the chance for your Troop to explore the history of Scouts and its impact around the globe.  

By the end of the session, your Scouts will have had fun and learnt more about the Scouting movement. 

This session is 1 hour and 50 minutes, but feel free to adapt as needed to suit your session length. To shorten the session, you could miss out the Scouts futures part of the Scouts around the world activity.  

In this session, Scouts will work towards:  

This session explores what is means to be healthy and how different health issues affect people around the world. 

By the end of the session, your Scouts will have had fun, developed confidence and solved problems together. 

This session is 1 hour and 30 minutes, but feel free to adapt as needed to suit your session length. 

In this session, Scouts will work towards:  

This session explores where our clothes come from and the impact that this has on the environment. Scouts will explore how to patch clothes to make them last longer. 

You will need to ask everyone to bring a worn item of clothing with them (maybe something with a small hole or tear). It’s a good idea to have spares if possible.  

By the end of the session, your Scouts will have learnt how to repair their clothing and can take it home as good as new. 

This session is 1 hour and 35 minutes, but feel free to adapt as needed to suit your session length. You could complete the money matters section of your jumper’s journey as a whole group to shorten the activity. 

In this session, Scouts will work towards:  

This session highlights how we can reduce waste and creatively repurpose plastic. 

By the end of the session, your Scouts will have learnt how to weave plastic into mats. You might want to ask your young people to bring in old plastic bags from home. 

This session is 2 hours, but feel free to adapt as needed to suit your session length. You’ll finish off the mats next session, so it’s fine to spend less time on this next week. 

In this session, Scouts will work towards:  

This session finishes off your weaving projects and celebrates the end of half term with time around the fire. 

By the end of the session, your Scouts will have almost finished their mat creations and spent time chatting and singing around the campfire. 

This session is 2 hours, but feel free to adapt as needed to suit your session length. You could finish the mats as an opening activity over the next few weeks, or invite your Scouts to finish them at home if you’d prefer to dedicate a whole session to the fire. 

In this session, Scouts will work towards:  

This session explores the wonder of trees and helps Scouts identify different species. You’ll need to find a space to plant some trees. This could be outside your meeting place, at a local allotment or inside using large pots. 

By the end of the session, everyone will be able to spot different types of trees and will have had a go at planting their own. 

This session is 1 hour and 45 minutes, but feel free to adapt as needed to suit your session length. To shorten the session, you could focus on the name that tree part of the I know yew game. 

In this session, Scouts will work towards:  

This session takes Scouts to see how trees are grown for different purposes. You might arrange to visit a Christmas tree farm or a local maintained forest. If this isn’t possible, you could get someone in who has experience growing trees. 

By the end of the session, everyone will know more about how natural and commercial woodlands are managed. 

This session is 1 hour and 30 minutes, but feel free to adapt as needed to suit your session length.  

In this session, Scouts will work towards:  

To finish this badge in the future, plan in a session to learn about how to fell and trim out a tree or lay a hedge. Here’s an activity to give you some ideas. 

This session invites Scouts to explore what our rights, wants and needs are. They then use this to plan how to help others around the world in times of crisis. 

By the end of the session, the Scouts will have thought about how to help the community, care for others and be courageous. 

This session is 1 hour and 35 minutes, but feel free to adapt as needed to suit your session length. You could use the example resources for the when disaster strikes activity to shorten its length. 

In this session, Scouts will work towards:  

This session explores the careful planning and organisation that goes into the Olympics. 

By the end of the session, the Scouts will have planned their own Olympic events to run next time. 

This session is 1 hour and 30 minutes, but feel free to adapt as needed to suit your session length.  

In this session, Scouts will work towards:  

This session puts the Scouts’ teamwork skills to the test as they run their very own Olympic games. 

By the end of the session, each team will have put their place into action and reflected on how well they worked as a group. 

This session is 1 hour and 40 minutes, but feel free to adapt as needed to suit your session length. You could miss out the opening game to shorten the session and still meet the badge requirements. 

In this session, Scouts will work towards:  

This session reflects on your journey as a Troop together and encourages everyone to have their say in which badges and activities you do next. 

By the end of the session, everyone will have worked together to create a mission statement for your Troop which you can display in your meeting space. You’ll also have shared lots of ideas for future programme planning. 

This session is 1 hour and 45 minutes, but feel free to adapt as needed to suit your session length. You save the dream camp game for another time if you need to shorten the session. You could include camps as a discussion point during cool wall to still capture everyone’s views. 

In this session, Scouts will work towards:  

To award the Team Challenge Award, you’ll need to plan in 3 more Troop or Patrol forums, where young people can share their ideas to shape the programme. You could use this activity to help. This will ensure that your programme is youth-led, fun and relevant to your young people.