What is the scout law? It is just twelve words. Twelve commitments. It is one model that has influenced millions of youth over 100 years of scouting. The Scout Law is not simply something to recite in troop meetings but a moral compass that can be used in today’s world. Let’s dissect each point and see how it continues to resonate firmly in our society today.
The 12 Points Explained
Here are the scout laws for kids and why they are important:
- Trustworthy: A scout is trustworthy; tells the truth and keeps promises. With the world awash in misinformation and broken promises, trustworthiness is an important character trait that will help to foster meaningful relationships and build lasting reputations.
- Loyal: A scout is faithful to family, friends, troop, and country. A strength of good friendships and great leaders is their loyalty, which is demonstrated by showing up whenever, not just when it’s convenient.
- Helpful: A scouter willingly helps others for no reward. Purpose is fostered and communities are measurably better when there are daily acts of service.
- Friendly: A scout is friendly to everyone, including those who are different from him/her. This directly challenges bullying and social exclusion and helps young people to spread kindness beyond themselves.
- Courteous: A scout is courteous toward all people, no matter their rank. The maturity that is demonstrated by courtesy in speech, listening, and behavior is the kind that earns trust in any setting.
- Kind: A scout knows that it is wrong to be cruel to people or animals. Kindness is not weakness; it takes more strength to show kindness than to show indifference.
- Obedient: If rules are just at home, school, and troop, a scouter follows them. This point is also an exercise in critical thinking: scouts are taught to challenge unfair rules in an appropriate manner.
- Cheerful: A Scout is cheerful when he has a challenge. Resilience and optimism are real, learnable behaviors, and scouting offers a myriad of opportunities to practice these behaviors in a challenging environment.
- Thrifty: A scout is someone who is economical in spending money. Financial literacy is still one of the least prepared subjects in today’s youth education. Scouting is doing something about it early.
- Brave: A scout does the right thing when it is hard and/or dangerous. Courage is not the lack of fear; it’s doing what’s right, even when you are afraid.
- Clean: A scout keeps his/her body, mind, and the environment clean. This goes beyond personal hygiene to respect for public space; it means avoiding bad habits and staying clear-minded.
- Reverent: A scout is loyal to religious and spiritual values and is respectful towards the beliefs of others. This is even more crucial in a pluralist society where people must find a way to live with people of different religions in respectful harmony.
Living the Law Every Day
The Scout Law isn’t perfect — it’s an aspiration to strive for every day. If scouts internalize just a few of these values regularly, they are pretty much guaranteed to become thoughtful, reliable, caring people. Parents and leaders should support the law not by saying it, but by demonstrating it—children are more likely to see than hear it. Begin with 1 point per week. Talk about it at the dinner table, talk about it at troop meetings, and pat a scout on the back when they live it out. As time goes on, these twelve simple words turn into twelve lifelong habits. Learn more about the history, mission, and values of scouting at Boy Scouts.