The Badge Archive

I know with only 1 hour meetings 2 times a month, it’s hard for them to remember week from week. I’ve tried to connect the fact that when they put on their Brownie or Daisy Vest, they are a Girl Scout and have promised (Girl Scout Promise) to follow the Girl Scout Law (like school expectations), but it certainly hasn’t stuck. We do say the Girl Scout Law at the beginning of every meeting, but they don’t seem to care either.

The only consequence of not behaving is that we stop the activity and wait for everyone to sit quietly and look at us. We don’t do anything until every girl has done so. Since parents pay for their girl to be in the troop and there are a lot of regs on what you can’t do, I’m not sure there is anything more than that.

How do you get a group of 2^nd graders to behave and follow the rules? How can I encourage them to be an example for the younger girls? I know daily reinforcement can do a lot, but I’m out of ideas beyond sending a girl home after three strikes. And since parents don’t stick around at the meeting all the time, that might not even be a possibility.

– Tantrum Trouble

---

Dear Tantrum Trouble,

You’re not doing anything wrong. You’re actually doing many of the right things. Clear expectations, consistent enforcement, a code of conduct, and tying behavior back to the Promise and Law are exactly what works long‑term. The tricky part is that 2nd–3rd grade is just a tough developmental stage. Tantrums, impulsivity, testing boundaries, and loudness are all very normal for this age, even more so in mixed‑age groups.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is simply keep doing what you’re already doing and trust the process. Consistency really does pay off over time.

It’s also okay to let a child have a safe tantrum off to the side as long as they’re not disrupting the entire troop. If a parent can pick them up, great. If not, letting them sit out until they’re ready to rejoin is a perfectly acceptable option. Sometimes they’ll sit out the entire meeting. That’s okay.

Some troops also set up a quiet corner with calm activities (coloring pages, gel pens, fidgets). It gives kids who are overwhelmed, overstimulated, or simply not in the mood a place to decompress without derailing the meeting. They don’t earn the badge for that meeting if they don’t participate, but they do stay safe. The troop can keep moving forward. it’s common to have when you have scouts who attend only because their families want them to. Many parents who send their child to scout meetings even when the child doesn’t want to be there are fine with this arrangement.

And sometimes, after sitting out for a bit, a scout will decide they do want to join the activity, especially if it’s fun. Keeping the door open gives them that chance.

The truth is, this age group grows out of a lot of these behaviors with time, modeling, and repetition. As long as you stay consistent and calm, most scouts eventually realize it’s more fun to participate than to fight the structure.

This isn’t a new challenge, and you’re not alone in facing it. If your troop has a basic level of behavioral stability, you may find our Managing Emotions article helpful. It focuses on guiding girls toward emotional awareness and self‑regulation once they’re developmentally ready for that reflection.

If you’ve ever had a meeting that felt like it completely fell apart, our When a Scout Meeting Goes Off the Rails page offers practical, specific ideas for what to do in the moment and how to reset afterward. But your basic set up for your troop already incorporates a lot of this advice.

You’re doing the right things. This is just a challenging age, not a failure on your part.

You’ve got this.
— From Tia K.

–

For More Fun Ideas and Plans

–

---

Click Here -> To see information References:

Disclaimer: The information published on The Badge Archive is built from the references listed below. These sources demonstrate that our content is grounded in facts and research, not opinion or speculation. Readers may consult them directly when looking for additional material.

• This article draws solely on the author’s firsthand experience and does not incorporate outside sources.

–

• Find out how you can support The Badge Archive!
• See more Dear Leader Posts