Having coloring pages in your leader bag is an easy way to manage your troop.
Updated July 2022
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One of the most important things I learned during my first year as an elementary school teacher was classroom management. My second grade class had 25 children, and some of them had some very real behavioral issues (Yeah, welcome to teaching. Why give these kids to the teacher across the hall who had over 20 years experience under her belt? But I digress…)
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Managing your troop of Girl Scouts is necessary for your meetings to run smoothly. For someone like myself who has been working with children since 1987, keeping kids busy and productive is second nature. For those who have never been in charge of a large group of children, the task can seem overwhelming.
This is where good troop management comes in. Children will get themselves into mischief or misbehave if they are bored or undirected. If there is nothing to do, then they will find something to do…and it may not be to your liking.
There are two times during a meeting when girls typically get into trouble. The first is when the meeting starts. Latecomers take you off task, and waiting for them to arrive causes the others to get antsy. You can use free Girl Scout coloring pages as a “sponge” activity to get the girls who have already arrived on task. Have the girls at the table with the crayons or markers and the page you have run off. Have your co-leader at the table talk about the page, which can be one for earning a petal and a springboard for your meeting.
If your troop meets after school like mine did so latecomers are not an issue, then you can use free Daisy coloring pages for those who finish early the craft or activity that you planned. Again, have your co-leader or parent volunteer sit with the girls to keep them focused.
Here are some websites to find your free Girl Scout coloring pages.
Making Friends (Superhero Girl Scout Law Coloring Pages)
For Girls (from Girl Scout website)
Remember, if you are printing at a local store like Staples, save your receipt so you can be reimbursed. You might want to run off several meetings worth at a time to save yourself a trip. Girls who miss the meeting can be given the extra paper the next time she shows up.
You can also have a file folder with each girl’s name on it and have her papers inside. She can pull out her folder when she needs it.
Another idea for leaders to use is to staple the free Girl Scout coloring pages into booklets. Each girl puts her name on it and it stays in your troop leader bag that goes back and forth to each meeting. Doing it this way prevents lost papers or girls insisting that they did or did not have a certain page. You can even include Girl Scout word searches and puzzles for older girls.
Do you use free Girl Scout coloring pages or printables with your troop?
