The BSA Family Award program offers activities to help strengthen all families - whether two-parent, single-parent, or nontraditional. This program helps families accomplish worthy goals while building and strengthening relationships among family members. All family members are encouraged to participate and may earn the award. Some packs, through a volunteer family program chair, actively encourage and support families pursuing this award. If your pack does not promote and support the family program, your family may still participate on its own. The BSA Family Activity Book (available at your local council service center) gives all the requirements as well as step-by-step instructions for earning the BSA Family Award.

To earn the award, a family must complete 10 activities within a 12-month period. The family chooses one activity in two topics in each of the following categories:

• Learning Through Fun and Adventure
• Strengthening Family Relationships
• Developing Personal Strengths
• Teaching Responsibility
• Handling Difficult Situations

When a family has completed the requirements, all family members are eligible to receive an award certificate, patches for uniform wear, and/or pins for non-uniform wear.
The patch is a temporary emblem to be displayed centered on the right pocket or on a patch vest.

The BSA Family Activity Book is the primary resource for the BSA Family Award program. It is filled with suggested activities to enhance the children's personal development and enrich and strengthen the family. The BSA Family Activity Book is divided into five categories that include several topics of interest to families. Each topic contains suggested activities for a family to do together. These activities could include going on field trips; telling stories; doing arts and crafts projects; playing games; participating in family discussions; or making lists, charts, and scrapbooks.

Most of the ideas in the BSA Family Activity Book will be useful during family meetings or gatherings. However, parents will also find ways to incorporate them into daily life. Many ideas may be adapted for use while riding in a car and during mealtimes, and may provide things to occupy children when they say there is "nothing to do." In short, parents may use the ideas and activities to meet their own family's needs and interests.

Included with most topics are recommended books for adults and children to read together. One can find these (or other books) at a local public library. Adults and children may take turns reading aloud. There are many wonderful books to help explain or illustrate any topic the family explores.

The BSA Family Activity Book is available at your local council service center or wherever Scouting merchandise is sold. Visit www.scoutstuff.org to find a list of Scouting retailers in your area.