When a boy is between the ages of seven and eleven years old or is (at least) in the first grade, he can become a Cub Scout. But, regardless of a qualifying boy's age, he must complete the Bobcat Trail as the first step in his Cub Scouting adventure.

First-grade boys join a Tiger Cub den, where each boy works with an adult partner on the requirements to earn his Tiger Cub badge.

Second-grade boys graduate into a Wolf den. They go to weekly den meetings on their own, but their families still help them work on the requirements for the Wolf badge.

Boys in the third grade are members of a Bear den. They also work with their families to do the requirements for the Bear badge, but boys this old have enough knowledge and skill to take on more of the work by themselves.

Boys in the fourth and fifth grades become Webelos Scouts. Webelos Scouts do more advanced activities to get ready to graduate into Boy Scouting.

The highest award in Cub Scouting is the Arrow of Light Award. The boys will begin working on earning the Arrow of Light Award as a Webelos Scout. It is the only Cub Scout badge that boys can wear on the Boy Scout uniform. As the boys work on the Arrow of Light Award, they practice outdoor skills, get physically fit, and learn more about citizenship and working with others. All of these things prepare them for the next stage of Scouting.