Troop Year Planner | Girl Scouts

Plan your year of Girl Scouting.

These helpful troop year plans guide you through each meeting.

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.

Troop Year plans for Girl Scout troops grades K-5

Use these plans to help guide your Daisies*, Brownies*, or Juniors. Discover what Girl Scouting is all about, find simple ways to explore the outdoors, or improve your community with a service project.

*Available in English and Bilingual Spanish.

Learn more about what each Girl Scout level can do:

Daisies

Girl Scouts in grades K-1 learn the Girl Scout Law and money basics and visit a state park.

Brownies

Girl Scouts in grades 2-3 design a race car, learn cooking basics, and take their first hike.

Juniors

Girl Scouts in grades 4-5 try new sports, explore technology, and go horseback riding.

Multi-Level

Girl Scouts in grades k-5 explore their community, their world & their creative side.

Cadettes

Girl Scouts in grades 6-8 go on an outdoor trek, learn first aid basics, and more.

Seniors

Girl Scouts in grades 9-10 become citizen scientists, learn about mental health, and more.

Ambassadors

Girl Scouts in grades 11-12 travel the country, practice photography skills, and more.

Multi-Level

Girl Scouts grades 6-12 grow their leadership abilities & build entrepreneurial skills.

Volunteer Toolkit toggle arrow

The Volunteer Toolkit is a customizable planning tool where you can find suggested meeting plans for most badges, access activity guides and badge requirements, track your Girl Scouts’ achievements, and so much more. It’s the digital planning assistant that will help you power a fun-filled—and organized—Girl Scout year.

You’ll find the Volunteer Toolkit via the left menu bar of MyGS in My Account. It’s accessible on any desktop, tablet, or mobile device.

Take a look at our videos below for more tips and tricks using the Volunteer Toolkit

Volunteer Video Playlist toggle arrow

Move videos coming soon—Thank you for your patience!

Girl Scout Traditions & Uniforms toggle arrow

Traditions & Ceremonies

Traditions connect Girl Scouts across the globe. They link current Girl Scouts to the trailblazers who came before them and remind them of the camaraderie that comes with a wide network of millions of fellow Girl Scouts and Girl Scout alums.

View some well-loved traditions here.

You can always find more info about Girl Scout traditions and ceremonies in your grade level’s Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting.

Uniforms

Your Girl Scout uniform shows how much you’ve accomplished—and that you’re ready for what’s next. And each part of your Girl Scout uniform is as unique as you are. Girl Scouts from each grade level have one official uniform item (a sash, vest, or tunic) to display badges, pins, awards, and other insignia.

View where to place badges, pins, awards, and other insignia on your uniform here.

You can always shop for your official uniform at our Council shop, online or in-store.

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There are so many Girl Scout songs of all sorts: traditional, silly, serious, camp classics, repeat-after-me, and more!

Here are just a few to get you started:

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Girl Scout Songs & Games

M&M Icebreaker Game

Pour M&Ms, or any other multicolored candy, into a bowl. Have everyone in the group take as many as they want, but no fewer than five from the bowl. Make sure that no one eats their candy right away.

For each piece of candy they took, they will have to answer a question, depending on its color. For example, you can designate:

Red: Favorite hobby
Green: Favorite food
Yellow: Favorite movie
Orange: Something cool that
happened yesterday
Brown: Something you do well
Blue: Random fact (share anything they choose)

Line Up Game

One person is the caller. She calls out, “Everyone pleases now line up…” and fills in the blank with a statement such as one of the suggestions below. All players race and find the right order.

In order of age, oldest at the front, youngest at the back
In alphabetical order by first name
In order of height, from smallest to tallest
In order by your birthday—January to December

If you have a large number, divide it into two teams to see who can finish first. To make it harder, play the game in silence.

Tag Games

Elbow Tag: Everyone, except 2 players, links arms with another player. Of the remaining two players, one is it and the other is the chased. Whenever the chased links elbows with a pair of players, the person on the other side of the pair must break off from the group. This player now becomes the chased. If the chased gets tagged, they become it.

Turtle Tag: One person is it. If a chased player gets tagged, she becomes frozen until she is tagged by another non-it player. To avoid being tagged, players can lay down on their backs with their hands and feet in the air. Players can only remain safe like this for 10 seconds.

Shadow Tag: Best played late in the afternoon or early evening, when the shadows are long. It tags players by stepping on their shadows. If a player gets tagged, they become the new it.

Frogger Game

Everyone sits in a circle. Pick a girl to be the detective and have her step out of the room. The remaining girls close their eyes and select one person, with a tap on the shoulder, to be the Frogger. Girls not chosen are all flies.

When the Frogger has been chosen the group opens their eyes and says, “oh detective” and the detective comes back into the room and steps into the middle of the circle. The Frogger must stick her tongue out at the flies which signals the flies to dramatically fall backwards, distracting the detective.

The detective moves around the circle and has three chances to guess who the Frogger is before the Frogger tags all the flies.

STEM Activities & Resources toggle arrow

Take a look at the Girl Scout STEM Playbook for awards and badges girls can earn. Explore activities and ideas that are easy to plan and do for all levels.

Girl Scout Experience Box (for New Daisy and Brownie Troops Only) toggle arrow

Complimentary Girl Scout Experience Boxes for new Daisy and Brownie troops are here to support you every step of the way!

Starting in August 2025, as the leader of a NEW Girl Scout Daisy (K-1) or Brownie (2-3) troop, you’ll receive monthly complimentary supply boxes. Filled with step-by-step instructions, ready-to-go supplies, and thoughtful script suggestions, meeting planning just got easier!

Troop leader with two Girl Scouts smiling outdoors

Keep the Excitement Going

Give your troop another year of growth, laughter, and the confidence they need to be their most authentic selves!

SIGN ME UP

How do I lead a Girl Scout troop? toggle arrow

Girl Scouts is girl-led. Your role as a troop leader is to help guide your troop members through their activities. For younger girls, that can mean a little more structure and planning. For older girls, it means understanding their goal and helping them get there while letting them take charge. Using a year plan is an easy way to get started if you’re a first-time troop leader.

Girl-led activities are the secret sauce of Girl Scouting. When girls step up and take ownership of their decisions, they grow into confident leaders who can make informed and empowered decisions—a valuable skill they’ll carry throughout their lives.

How can I be a successful Girl Scout troop leader? toggle arrow

Girl Scouts isn’t about sticking to a strict curriculum. It’s about trying new things, experiencing it together, and reflecting on what you learned and how it changed you. A successful troop leader is someone who can bring together a group of Girl Scouts to do just that. They guide Girl Scouts through earning badges and awards or simply having fun together while allowing the girls to take the lead whenever possible.

What should Girl Scout troop leaders wear to meetings? toggle arrow

Comfortable clothing appropriate for your activities is the best. Girl Scout T-shirts, available at girlscoutshop.com, are always a great option to make yourself identifiable to troop members, parents, or adults at your meeting venue. Most Girl Scout councils also have their own T-shirt designs, and some troops opt to make their own.

There is a troop leader vest available as well. Your troop can choose when and where they want to wear their vests to represent themselves as Girl Scouts. Any field trips or more formal events, like a bridging ceremony, are an appropriate time for them.

Tips for First Meeting

Borrow these tried-and-true tips for success!

Self-Care Tips

Demonstrate to your girls how to balance life and be your best self.

Service Projects Tips

How to make giving back to your community a breeze.