Family Life Merit Badge PamphletFamily Life Merit Badge Pamphlet (Spanish) Family Life Merit Badge

Family Life


Requirements were REVISED effective January 1, 2015.

New text is in bold GREEN underlined Serif text like this sentence.
Deleted portions are struck through RED italic text like this sentence.

To see the requirements, without the changes highlighted, Click here.

For the previous requirements, Click here.


This Merit Badge
is Required to earn the Eagle Scout Rank


  1. Prepare an outline on what a family is and discuss this with your merit badge counselor. Tell why families are important to individuals and to society. Discuss how the actions of one member can affect other members.
  2. List several reasons why you are important to your family and discuss this with your parents or guardians and with your merit badge counselor.
  3. Prepare a list of your regular home duties or chores (at least five) and do them for 90 days. Keep a record of how often you do each of them. Discuss with your counselor the effect your chores had on your family.
  4. With the approval of your parents or guardians and your merit badge counselor, decide on and carry out a project that you would do around the home that would benefit your family. Submit a report to your merit badge counselor outlining how the project benefited your family.
  5. Plan and carry out a project that involves the participation of your family. After completing the project, discuss the following with your merit badge counselor:
    1. The objective or goal of the project
    2. How individual members of your family participated
    3. The results of the project
  6. Do the following:
    1. Discuss with your merit badge counselor how to plan and carry out a family meeting.
    2. After this discussion, plan and carry out a family meeting* to include the following subjects:
      1. Avoiding substance abuse, including tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, all of which negatively affect your health and well-being
      2. Understanding the growing-up process and how the body changes, and making responsible decisions dealing with sex
      3. How your chores in requirement 3 contributed to your role in the family
      4. 3. Personal and family finances
      5. 4. A crisis situation within your family
      6. 5. The effect of technology on your family
      7. 6. Good etiquette and manners
    Discussion of each of these subjects will very likely carry over to more than one family meeting.
  7. Discuss the following with your counselor:
    1. Your understanding of what makes an effective father and why, and your thoughts on the father's role in the family
    2. Your understanding of the responsibilities of a parent.

*This conversation may take place with only one or both of your parents or guardians.


BSA Advancement ID#: 129
Requirements last updated in: 2015
Pamphlet Publication Number: 35893
Pamphlet Stock (SKU) Number: 620001
Pamphlet Revision Date: 2014

Worksheets for use in working on these requirements: Format
Word Format PDF Format

Blanks in this worksheets table appear when we do not have a worksheet for the badge that includes these requirements.


Page updated on: November 18, 2021



Scouts Using the Internet Cartoon - Courtesy of Richard Diesslin - Click to See More Cartoons
© 1994-2024 - U.S. Scouting Service Project | Site Map | Disclaimer | Project Team | Contact Us | Privacy Policy

Materials found at U. S. Scouting Service Project, Inc. Websites may be reproduced and used locally by Scouting volunteers for training purposes consistent with the programs of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) or other Scouting and Guiding Organizations. No material found here may be used or reproduced for electronic redistribution or for commercial or other non-Scouting purposes without the express permission of the U. S. Scouting Service Project, Inc. (USSSP) or other copyright holders. USSSP is not affiliated with BSA or WOSM and does not speak on behalf of BSA or WOSM. Opinions expressed on these web pages are those of the web authors. You can support this website with in two ways: Visit Our Trading Post at www.ScoutingBooks.com or make a donation by clicking the button below.
(U.S. Scouting Service Project Donation)


(Ruth Lyons Memorial Donations)