Signs, Signals, and Codes is all about communicating without everyday speech. You will learn Morse code, sign language, braille, trail signs, and even secret codes. It's fun, useful, and great for teamwork.
Why it's worth it
People have always found ways to talk without speaking: flashing lights between ships, hand signals on a noisy job site, braille on an elevator button, secret codes in wartime. This badge lets you try many of them, and some stick for life. A little ASL lets you greet someone who is Deaf, Morse code can call for help, and knowing distress signals could matter in an emergency outdoors. It's also a lot of fun with a patrol.
Start this week
- Learn to fingerspell your first name in American Sign Language tonight.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Signs, Signals, and Codes counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
- Write SOS in Morse code (three short, three long, three short) and flash it with a flashlight to a family member.
- Take a walk with a parent and count how many signs and symbols you see that use no words at all.
Requirements · 10
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab) (updated 2025).
- Requirement 1
Talk with your counselor about why signs, signals, and codes matter and why people rely on these various ways to communicate. Briefly discuss how they began and developed over time
Tip: Look around your town for signs and symbols and talk about how they help people understand quickly.
- Requirement 2
Explain why signaling matters in an emergency. Discuss with your counselor the distress signals you could use to get the attention of air searchers if you're lost outdoors or need help in a disaster, and show them with photos or drawings
Tip: Learn common distress signals and when you would use them outdoors or on the water.
For example: Explain what you'd do if lost on a hike or stranded on the water: three blasts on a whistle, three fires or piles of rocks in a triangle, a signal mirror flashed at a plane, or a bright cloth spread out in an open space.
- Requirement 3
Morse code and American Sign Language
Tips for this section: Practice Morse code with a flashlight and learn a few ASL signs with a buddy.
Example for this section: Send a short message in Morse with a flashlight or buzzer to a buddy, then switch roles. For ASL, learn the alphabet plus greetings like hello, thank you, and nice to meet you, and practice a short conversation.
- Requirement 3a
Describe Morse code and the ways people send it. Use Morse code to spell your first name, and send or receive a 6–10 word message in it
- Requirement 3b
Describe American Sign Language (ASL) and how people use it today. Use ASL to spell your first name, and send or receive a 6–10 word message in it
- Requirement 4
Semaphore and nautical flags
Tips for this section: Make two simple flags and practice letters with a friend.
- Requirement 4a
Briefly explain to your counselor what semaphore is, and why, how, and where it's used
- Requirement 4b
Explain to your counselor how semaphore flags differ from nautical flags
- Requirement 4c
Use semaphore and nautical flags
- Requirement 4c1
After finishing 4a and 4b, spell your first name in semaphore, and send or receive a 6–10 word message in semaphore
- Requirement 4c2
After finishing 4a and 4b, use pictures or photos to identify 10 nautical flags and discuss why they matter
- Requirement 5
Explain how braille is read and how it helps people who are blind or have low vision communicate, then do 5a and 5b
Tip: Learn the braille alphabet and try writing a short message by pressing dots into paper.
For example: Write a message of at least six words, like "Troop 12 meets on Monday nights," in braille by pressing a pencil tip into the back of thick paper so the dots rise on the front. Then decode a six-word braille message from your counselor or a friend.
- Requirement 5a
Using sight or touch, read the braille letters that spell your name, and decode a braille message of at least six words
- Requirement 5b
Write a braille message of at least six words and share it with your counselor
- Requirement 6
Sound signals and silent signals
Tips for this section: Practice whistle and hand signals during patrol games until everyone knows them.
- Requirement 6a
Describe to your counselor six signals in use today that rely only on sound. Discuss the upsides and downsides of sound signals compared with other kinds
- Requirement 6b
Show your counselor six silent Scout signals that are all different, and use them to direct how your patrol or troop moves and acts
- Requirement 7
On a Scout outing, mark a trail of at least one mile for your patrol or troop, using six or more kinds of trail signs and markers. Once they've followed it, use Leave No Trace and the Outdoor Code to put markers back where they came from
Tip: Lay out the trail yourself with sticks and stones, let your patrol follow it, then put everything back where you found it.
For example: Use sticks and stones to mark a one-mile route in a park with trail signs like "this way," "turn right," and "gone home." Let another patrol follow it, then remove the signs so the area looks untouched.
- Requirement 8
Signals used in different activities. Choose 3 of 5
Tips for this section: Pick activities you enjoy, like sports or boating, and learn the signals used in each.
Example for this section: Pick three activities you know, like basketball referee signals, swim lifeguard whistles, and crane or construction hand signals. Learn five from each and teach them to your patrol.
- Requirement 8a
Demonstrate five hand signals that sports officials use, and tell what each means and why it's used
- Requirement 8b
Demonstrate five hand signals that heavy-equipment operators use, and tell what each means and why it's used
- Requirement 8c
Demonstrate five signals used by aircraft carrier catapult crews, and tell what each means and why it's used
- Requirement 8d
Demonstrate five hand signals that cyclists use, and tell what each means and why it's used
- Requirement 8e
Demonstrate five signals from an activity you and your counselor choose, and tell what each means and why it's used
- Requirement 9
Show your counselor 10 symbols people see in everyday life. Create a symbol of your own, share it, and explain its meaning. Then do 9a through 9c
Tip: Collect photos of everyday symbols, then sketch a symbol for your patrol or family.
- Requirement 9a
Show 10 traffic signs and explain what each one means
- Requirement 9b
With a topographic map, explain the purpose of a map legend and why it matters. Find 10 map symbols and say what each one stands for
- Requirement 9c
Discuss text-message symbols and why people use them so much. Share 10 favorite emoticons or text symbols, and see whether a parent, guardian, or your counselor can tell what each means or how it's used
- Requirement 10
Briefly discuss the history of secret writing (cryptography). Invent a code, use it to write a message of 25 words or fewer, and give it to a friend or fellow Scout. Then show your counselor the message and key and discuss how well your code works
Tip: Read about famous codes in history, then make your own cipher and challenge a friend to crack it.
For example: Read about the Navajo Code Talkers or the Enigma machine, then build a simple cipher such as a shifted alphabet or a keyword code. Challenge a friend or parent to crack your message.
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
An amateur radio club meeting or field day
Ham radio operators still send Morse code, and many love showing young people how it works.
How: Have a leader contact a local amateur radio club and ask if your patrol can visit a meeting or the annual field day event.
A library, school, or community center with ASL or braille programs
You can meet people who use these languages and learn from them directly.
How: Have a parent check for ASL classes, Deaf community events, or a library braille collection, and go together.
Where it can lead
- ASL interpreterInterprets between spoken English and American Sign Language in schools, hospitals, and courts.
- Cryptographer or cybersecurity specialistDesigns and breaks codes that protect information.
- Air traffic controllerUses precise radio language and signals to keep planes safe.
- Military signals specialistRuns communications for armed forces units, a path open right after high school.
- Graphic or wayfinding designerCreates symbols and signs people understand at a glance.
Ask yourself
- Which way of communicating without words felt most natural to you, and which was hardest?
- How did learning a little ASL or braille change how you think about people who use them every day?
- When would knowing a distress signal really matter on one of your trips?
- What made your secret code easy or hard to crack?
- Which skill from this badge do you want to keep practicing?
Good questions to ask your counselor or someone who uses these skills every day
- When have signals or codes been more useful than talking in your work or life?
- What's the best way to practice Morse code until it becomes automatic?
- What do hearing people often get wrong when they first meet someone who is Deaf?
- Which signals would be most useful for a Scout to know in an emergency?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Set up signaling games so scouts practice codes in a fun, competitive way.
- Invite a ham radio operator or sign language user to share their skills.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- ARRL (opens in a new tab) — Ham radio group with Morse code resources.
- National Federation of the Blind (opens in a new tab) — Information about braille.
- National Association of the Deaf (opens in a new tab) — Information about American Sign Language.
- NIDCD: American Sign Language (opens in a new tab) — What ASL is, how it works, and how people learn it.
- American Printing House for the Blind (opens in a new tab) — How braille is made and used, with resources for learners.
- U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety (opens in a new tab) — Distress signals and safety rules for boaters.
Pairs well with
Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.