Badges & Awards | Girl Scouts

What will you try next?

Build skills when you earn a badge or award

Excited to go camping for the first time? Want to try your hand at coding your first website? Ready to work towards climate justice? As a Girl Scout, there are so many ways to try something new or take a passion to the next level. Badges and awards will build your skills and show the world what you’re capable of accomplishing.

Start exploring a world of possibility.

Meet the New Leadership Awards

Introducing fresh ways for Girl Scouts to lead with confidence, mentor others, work as a team, and take action in their communities. They're also a prerequisite for the Highest Awards.

LEARN MORE

GSUSA Patch Programs & More

Patch programs are fun ways for girls to explore new causes and interests and are a great tool for planning troop meetings or outings or for girls to complete with their families.

Love the Outdoors

Explore Diversity

Ready Resilient Strong

Tree Promise

Climate Challenge

Be Internet Awesome Family Challenge

Volunteer Planning Resources

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Daisies K-1 (PDF)
Brownies 2-3 (PDF)
Juniors 4-5 (PDF)
Cadettes 6-8 (PDF)
Seniors 9-10 (PDF)
Ambassadors 11-12 (PDF)
Guide to all Girl Scout Awards (PDF)

GSSI Honor & Golden Honor Troop Awards toggle arrow

The Honor and Golden Honor Troop award is a GSSI-specific honor for troops that achieve the Essential Elements of a Girl Scout Troop and provide overall excellence in troop management and programming in a given year. To achieve this honor, leaders and girls must work in partnership with each other, other troops, their service unit team, and council staff. Golden Honor Troop Applicants must complete all Honor Troop requirements PLUS the Golden Honor add-ons.

This award is for activities completed October 1–September 30 of the membership year.

Honor Troop Tracking Sheet (PDF): This form is used to track progress throughout the year.

Honor Troop Award Application (online form): The final application must be submitted online by October 1 of the new membership year.

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Getting Started: Following the GSLE

In Girl Scouts, everything centers around the Girl Scout. Our program is designed by, with, and for Girl Scouts. The Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE) is our research-based impact model that describes what members do in Girl Scouts, who they do it with, how they do it, and how they benefit. This framework should be a blueprint for every activity that your Girl Scouts participate in. When planning your year, make sure that you’re implementing all parts of the GSLE regularly.

For more information about all of the parts of the GSLE, reference the About Girl Scouts and Troop Management sections of Volunteer Essentials.

Troop Year Planners

Ready to plan your troop year? Our age-appropriate troop year plans are the best tool for first year troop leaders to get started with Girl Scouts without getting overwhelmed. The entire year is mapped out—just follow along to help your Girl Scouts complete badge activities, improve their communities, and explore the world around them.

Daisies (K-1)
Brownies (2-3)
Juniors (4-5)
Cadettes (6-8)
Seniors (9-10)
Ambassadors (11-12)
Multi-Level (K-5)
Mutl-Level (6-12)

Additional Resources

SciStarter: Girl Scouts has teamed up with SciStarter to curate projects for girls, volunteers, and others to deepen their engagement in citizen science and explore outdoor STEM.

Girl Scout Activity Zone: Specially curated for kids and teens (whether you’re in a troop or new to Girl Scouts), the Girl Scout Activity Zone lets you sample a full assortment of Girl Scout-tested and approved activities to explore ideas for your troop's next adventure. With helpful videos hosted by Girl Scout volunteers, these self-guided activities are ready for you to try right now.

The Achievery: Girl Scouts is teaming up with AT&T to deliver FREE, entertaining, and engaging educational resources to students in grades K-12 on the Girl Scout Activity Zone and The Achievery™, a new digital learning platform from AT&T.

A Year of Girl Scouting: Winter A guide for suggested activities and events for the months of January–April.

Tips for Troop Leaders toggle arrow

As a Girl Scout troop leader, you fill important roles in your girls' lives: fearless leader, empowering role model, and innovative event organizer, among others. No one said this rewarding journey would be easy, but with Tips for Troop Leaders, you'll be ready to meet any challenge that comes your way.

Real-world advice from fellow troop leaders who've been there

Our Volunteer Experts work with younger girls, older girls, differently abled girls, and girls across socioeconomic statuses. So when you want real-world advice from fellow troop leaders who've been there, here’s where to find it!

Tips for Troop Leaders

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Although elements of the program—like outdoor expeditions or learning entrepreneurial ventures—are consistent across all grade levels, Girl Scout Brownies and Juniors won’t be doing the same activities as Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors. But with your support, Girl Scouts will be ready for what comes when they get there!

Keep in mind that progression drives success for your troop, and consider that it is not about grade or age, but experience. Click on the following links for outlined suggestions that will help you determine when your Girl Scouts are ready for their next outdoor challenge, their next troop trip, or their next cookie-selling challenge.

Outdoor Progression Chart

Entrepreneurship Progression Chart

Travel Progression Chart