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Scouting Games by
Sir Robert Baden-Powell

Foreword to the Seventh Edition of Scouting Games by Sir Robert Baden-Powell, BT. 1926

The training of the Boy Scouts is done mainly by means of games, practices and competitions such as interest them, and at the same time bring into use the attributes of manliness and good citizenship which we desire to inculcate into them. There is, therefore, an aim, physical or moral, underlying those which are given in the following pages. These games do not exhaust what it is possible to give; they are but samples or suggestions upon which imaginative Scoutmasters will easily contrive better ones and more of them, suited to their local conditions. But in devising these the higher aim should always be kept in view ; that is, the instructor should think of what points he wishes to teach, and then invent a game or display in which to bring them into practice. In playing these Games it should be remembered that they improve very much on the second and third trial, as minor rules have often to be introduced to suit local circumstances. A time limit should generally be imposed to bring them off successfully. Through these games, apart from their health and joy-giving properties, we can instill the sense of fair play, discipline, and self-control--in a word, good sportsman- ship, among our future men. 

...

In these days when so large a proportion of the manhood is physically unsound and incapable of any great strain of hard work, Scoutmasters are rendering a really valuable service to the nation in turning out a new generation of citizens healthier in body and mind than their predecessors. 


R. S. S. B.-P.

Note: Many of these games were first published in 1910 and "refined" over 16 years.  Many of these games will need more "refinement" to make appropriate for use in this day and age.  Some games are just unsuitable no matter how much you modify it for your Scouts.  Regardless, they are entertaining to read and will spark ideas on ways to have fun with your Troop.