Tenderfoot is where you start doing real Scouting: camping, cooking with your patrol, tying knots for a purpose, and learning first aid. Each skill builds on the last, and most of it happens naturally on your first few campouts. Take it one requirement at a time.
Why it's worth it
Tenderfoot is when you stop being the new Scout and start being someone others can count on. You'll pitch your own tent, cook for your patrol, and learn first aid for the bumps and burns that really happen at camp. You'll also teach a skill to someone else for the first time, which is how every leader starts.
Start this week
- Do your fitness baseline for 6a this week, so your 30 days of tracking can start right away.
- Find the next campout on the troop calendar and tell your patrol leader you want to help cook and pitch a tent.
- Practice the square knot, two half-hitches, and the taut-line hitch with a piece of rope during TV time or in the car.
- Start building your personal first-aid kit from things already at home, and make a list of what's missing.
Plan ahead: Requirement 6 needs 30 days of tracking between your two fitness tests. Start it first and work on everything else while the days add up.
Requirements · 11
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
Camping and outdoor ethics
- Requirement 1a
Come to your leader ready for an overnight campout; show the personal and camping gear you'll use and how to pack and carry it properly
Tip: Lay out your gear on the floor using a packing list from your troop, then pack it and try carrying it around the house to see how it feels.
- Requirement 1b
Camp overnight at least once with your patrol or troop, sleeping in a tent you helped pitch
Tip: Ask a patrol mate to help you set up your tent at home first. On the campout, you'll already know how the poles go.
- Requirement 1c
Explain how you followed Leave No Trace and the Outdoor Code on campouts or outings
Tip: During the outing, notice small things you do right, like packing out trash or staying on the trail. Those make good examples to share.
For example: After a campout, think of two specific things: "We packed out all our trash, including the bits of foil around the fire ring, and we stayed on the marked trail instead of cutting across the meadow."
- Requirement 2
Cooking
Tips for this section: Volunteer to help with one meal on a campout, even if it's just chopping or stirring. Afterward, take a turn at the wash station so you learn the cleanup steps, and talk about why patrols eat together.
- Requirement 2a
On the campout, help prepare one of the meals; explain why every patrol member should share in cooking and cleanup
- Requirement 2b
On a campout, show how to safely clean the gear used for cooking, serving, and eating a meal
- Requirement 2c
Explain why it matters for a patrol to eat together
For example: Eating together is when a patrol talks about the day, solves problems, and makes sure everyone actually ate. Share a time a meal brought your patrol together, or a time skipping it made things harder.
- Requirement 3
Knots and tools
- Requirement 3a
Show a real use for the square knot
Tip: Show the square knot doing a real job, like tying a bandage or bundling gear.
For example: Practical uses mean real jobs, like tying the ends of a bandage with a square knot during first-aid practice.
- Requirement 3b
Show a real use for two half-hitches
Tip: Two half-hitches work well for tying a line to a tree or post. Try it on a clothesline or dining fly.
For example: Use two half-hitches to tie a tarp line or clothesline to a tree at your campsite.
- Requirement 3c
Show a real use for the taut-line hitch
Tip: The taut-line hitch is perfect for tent guylines because it slides and holds. Use it next time you pitch your tent.
For example: Use a taut-line hitch on your tent guylines so you can tighten them when they sag in the rain.
- Requirement 3d
Show how to care for, sharpen, and use a knife, saw, and ax, and describe when to use each
Tip: Have an older Scout or adult show you how to sharpen and care for each tool. Practice with an adult watching, and earning the Totin' Chip helps here.
- Requirement 4
First aid and nature
- Requirement 4a
Show first aid for: simple cuts and scrapes; hand and foot blisters; minor (first-degree) burns or scalds; insect and tick bites or stings; venomous snakebite; nosebleed; frostbite and sunburn; choking
Tip: Practice each first aid skill with a buddy using simple supplies like gauze and tape. Role-play a scene so it feels real.
- Requirement 4b
Describe common hazardous or poisonous plants, point out any that grow near you or your campsite, and tell how to treat exposure to them
Tip: Look up which plants like poison ivy grow where you live. A park ranger or nature center can help you learn to spot them.
- Requirement 4c
Tell how you can prevent or reduce the injuries and exposures in 4a and 4b while camping or on other outdoor activities
Tip: For each injury, ask yourself what could have stopped it from happening, like wearing sunscreen, gloves, or good boots.
- Requirement 4d
Put together a personal first-aid kit to carry on future campouts and hikes; tell how you would use each item
Tip: Build your kit in a small zip bag and know why each item is there. Check it before every campout and refill what you used.
- Requirement 5
Hiking
- Requirement 5a
Explain why the buddy system matters for your safety on outings and at home, and use it on a troop or patrol outing
Tip: Pick a buddy on every outing and check in with each other often. It's a simple habit that keeps everyone safe.
- Requirement 5b
Describe what to do if you get lost on a hike or campout
Tip: Remember to stay calm, stay put, and make yourself easy to find. Practice what you would do with your patrol.
- Requirement 5c
Explain the rules for safe, responsible hiking along highways and cross-country, by day and at night
Tip: Talk through road and trail rules with your patrol before a hike, including how to be seen at night.
- Requirement 5d
Explain why hiking on trails or other durable surfaces matters, and give examples of durable surfaces from your outing
Tip: On your next hike, point out rocks, gravel, or established trails you used. Explain how staying on them protects plants and soil.
- Requirement 6
Fitness
Tips for this section: Record your starting numbers, then make a simple chart on the fridge to track your activity for 30 days. Retest at the end and compare.
- Requirement 6a
Record your best: pushups in 60 seconds, situps or curl-ups in 60 seconds, back-saver sit-and-reach distance, and 1-mile walk/run time
- Requirement 6b
Make and describe a plan to improve in each 6a activity, and track your activity for at least 30 days
For example: Your plan can be simple: push-ups and sit-ups every other night, a 20-minute walk or bike ride on the other days, and a calendar on your wall where you check off each day.
- Requirement 6c
After 30 days of practice, show improvement (any amount) in each 6a activity
- Requirement 7
Citizenship
- Requirement 7a
Show the correct way to display the U.S. flag, raise and lower it, and fold it
Tip: Practice folding a flag with a partner until it forms a neat triangle. Volunteer to help with a troop flag ceremony.
- Requirement 7b
Give a total of 1 hour of service on one or more Scoutmaster-approved projects; explain how serving others ties to the Scout slogan and motto
Tip: Choose a service project your leader approves, like a park cleanup. Afterward, think about how it shows you doing a good turn and being prepared.
For example: One hour of service could be picking up litter at a park, helping set up chairs for a community dinner, or sorting donations at a food pantry. Then talk about how it connects to "Do a Good Turn Daily."
- Requirement 8
Describe the steps of the Teaching EDGE method, then use it to teach someone to tie the square knot
Tip: Teaching EDGE stands for explain, demonstrate, guide, and enable. Try it by teaching the square knot to a younger sibling or new Scout.
For example: Use EDGE with a younger Scout: Explain what a square knot is for, Demonstrate it slowly, Guide them while they try, then Enable them by having them tie it on their own a few times.
- Requirement 9
Show Scout spirit by living the Oath and Law; share how you've carried out your duty to God and lived out four different Scout Law points day to day
Tip: Think about how you have lived four points of the Scout Law in daily life, and be ready to talk about what duty to God means to you.
- Requirement 10
After finishing Scout rank requirement 7 and while working on Tenderfoot, have a Scoutmaster conference
Tip: Bring your handbook and a few stories from your campouts to the Scoutmaster conference. It's a friendly conversation about how you're doing.
- Requirement 11
Pass your Tenderfoot board of review
Tip: The board of review is a relaxed chat with adults who want to hear about your Scouting experience. Wear your uniform and be yourself.
Ask yourself
- What can you do now at camp that you couldn't do on your first campout?
- Which knot or skill still feels shaky, and who could help you practice it?
- How did it feel to teach someone else a skill? What would you do differently next time?
- Which point of the Scout Law did you live out this month without anyone asking?
- What changed between your first and second fitness tests, and how did you make it happen?
Good questions to ask your Scoutmaster at your conference
- What skills should I be practicing now to get ready for Second Class?
- How can I help newer Scouts in my patrol?
- Is there a troop job I could try, even a small one?
- Which merit badges do Scouts at my rank usually enjoy starting with?
Helpful reads
- How advancement works, Ranks, sign-offs, conferences, and boards of review in plain words: how a Scout moves from Scout rank to Eagle, at a pace that fits your life., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Your Scoutmaster conference and board of review, What happens at each, how to get ready, questions they might ask you, and questions you can ask them. It's a conversation, not a test., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Plan the troop's first campouts so new Scouts can complete camping, cooking, and knot requirements in a real setting.
- Have older Scouts teach first aid with hands-on scenarios instead of lectures.
- Remind Scouts to record their fitness numbers at the start so the 30-day comparison is easy.
People & places that can help
- Scoutmaster and older Scouts — They can teach, practice with you, and sign off skills.
- American Red Cross (opens in a new tab) — First aid guides and classes for youth and families.
- Local park ranger or nature center — Can help you identify hazardous plants in your area.
- Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics (opens in a new tab) — Tips for low-impact camping and hiking.
- American Red Cross First Aid (opens in a new tab) — Clear first-aid steps and classes for teens and families.
- Leave No Trace for Kids and Youth (opens in a new tab) — The seven principles explained with examples.
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.