A den mother is a volunteer leader in the Cub Scouts organization. According to Cub Scout official
literature, the actual title is "Den Leader", but since a large majority of Cub Scout leaders, especially
at the den level, are the mother of one of the Cub Scouts, the term "den mother" tends to be pretty accurate.
The den mother usually hosts a meeting of her Cub Scout den at her house. This den can have anywhere between
2 and 15 boys, depending on the size of the pack and the number of volunteers available. It is the den mother's
responsibility to coordinate the meeting's activities as well as ensuring that refreshments are available (she
may create a rotating assignment, or simply choose to make refreshments herself every week).
Often, the den mother will be assisted by another adult. In some cases, especially in smaller packs, this may
not be possible. One way the den mother can get assistance is to get a volunteer from a Boy Scout troop to
assist her. This Boy Scout is called a Den Chief, and serving as a Den Chief will serve as the leadership
requirement for that Scout as he works to attain higher ranks in Scouting.
One primary responsibility of the den mother is to plan and prepare the activities in the den meetings to
encourage the boys in her den to complete the requirements for them to achieve the next rank in Cub Scouts. Often,
she will need to use time in the den meetings to help complete these requirements, either by presenting information
about a topic, guiding an arts and crafts session, or getting the boys outside to do a certain physical activity.
Den mothers form the core of Cub Scouts. Without them, the organization would not work...or at least, it wouldn't
work the way it does right now. They keep the program moving forward.