At some point, almost every Scout has wondered which merit badges they could earn most easily. I know I have! Because there are so many conflicting lists out there, I’ve decided to determine, once and for all, the 3 easiest merit badges that any Scout can earn from home in less than a day. 🙂
What are the easiest merit badges? The easiest merit badges are those that you’re already working on in your everyday life. For instance, if you already have a dog, the Pets merit badge would be a no-brainer. The 3 simplest merit badges that any Scout can earn are Art, Fingerprinting, and Photography. These badges require few supplies and can be quickly completed in an afternoon.
In this article, I’ll give you a brief description of the 3 easiest merit badges that any Scout can earn, plus my #1 tip for finding the best merit badges for you! In fact, I’ve even written complete guides for each of the badges listed! Hopefully, this will help you to earn a few new, interesting merit badges very soon. Now, let’s get started!
If you’re looking to earn more merit badges and jumpstart your Scouting career, I’d recommend checking out my article telling you Everything You’ll Need to Know About Merit Badges, And How to Earn Them FAST!
The Easiest Merit Badges For Any Scout To Earn
There are a lot of questionable lists out there on what the, supposedly, easiest merit badges are. No, basketry is not easy — you need to make three baskets! Maybe it’s easy at a Summer camp, but imagine weaving three baskets at home.
In this list, we’re going to be looking at 3 merit badges that are both inexpensive and can be mostly completed in an afternoon. Plus, the only supplies you’ll need are likely already in your house, or can easily be purchased for under $20! Do you have a phone with a camera on it? Great! That’s literally all you’ll need for this first badge. 😉
1. Photography
Ahh, the perfect merit badge for everyone who has ever used Instagram! Earning the Photography merit badge used to be a bit more difficult before everyone started walking around with a camera (cellphone) in their pocket. Now, in spite of requiring a cyber chip to complete (link is my guide to earning your Cyber Chip), this merit badge can literally be earned by anyone in under two hours!
The photography merit badge requires some basic knowledge of working a camera and framing a photograph. There are a few technical terms that you’ll need to be ready to explain to your counselor. However, most of this merit badge can be completed just by taking pictures of things.
Because I’m such a nice guy, I’ve written you a complete guide on how to earn the Photography merit badge while only using your cell phone and Instagram (or some other photo-editing application). We’ll go step-by-step through each of the requirements and make you a Photography merit badge aficionado in no time!
2. Art
“Painting is easy when you don’t know how, but very difficult when you do.”
Edgar Degas, French Impressionist artist.
In our case, the Art merit badge is easy to earn one way or the other! This one’s a bit more heavy on the tools, so before starting make sure you have at least four of the following:
- a. Pen and ink,
- b. Watercolors,
- c. Pencil,
- d. Pastels,
- e. Oil paints (pricier),
- f. Tempera (pricier),
- g. Acrylics (pricier),
- h. Charcoal
- i. Computer drawing or painting
(If you need to buy any of these mediums at a good value, click the links above to be directed to Amazon. I will earn a small commission from your purchase, at no additional cost to you, which will be used to support ScoutSmarts! Thank you. 🙂 )
Since you probably already have a pen, pencil, and computer, you’ll have the choice of one more medium with which to create art!
In completing this badge, you’ll need to understand a few elements of art and do a couple of drawings. This is actually a really fun one though, so I would recommend enjoying the process! Seriously, after doing this merit badge, I gave my artwork to friends and family, and they loved it. 🙂
The Art merit badge also requires that you visit a museum, art exhibit, art gallery, co-op, or artist workshop. Many of these have free admission, so ask your counselor for their recommendations. As always, for additional help in understanding and answering these badge requirements, check out my complete guide to earning the Art merit badge.
3. Fingerprinting
If for some reason, you haven’t earned the Fingerprinting merit badge at any Summer camps or troop events, this may actually be the quickest badge of your life! Heck, I would recommend even going a step further and buying a large pack of fingerprinting cards to teach this badge to your entire troop in an afternoon. You’d be a hero — the fingerprinting requirements are so easy!
All that you need to earn this badge at home is tape, a pencil, and a fingerprinting card. These cards get cheaper in bulk, so you can get 3 for $5 or 25 for $10. Hence, my previous recommendation for teaching this badge to your troop!
There are only five requirements for this badge, and four of those requirements are knowledge-based. As it’s so simple, teaching fingerprinting is a great way to build rapport with younger Scouts and help them to earn their first badge. Here’s my complete guide to help you learn and even teach the Fingerprinting merit badge!
Finding The Easiest Merit Badge For You
In Scouting, there’s often a debate about which merit badges are the easiest. Personally, I think that the difficulty of a merit badge is mainly based on the situation that you’re earning it in. While you can go to Summer camp for a week and easily come home with five or six new merit badges, this wouldn’t be possible if you tried to work on the badges yourself without the resources that a camp offers.
Because of this, I believe that the easiest merit badges for you will be the ones that you’re already working on! What does this mean? This means that if you already have a collection, a pet, or some sort of hobby, use that as an opportunity to earn the associated merit badge!
My #1 tip for finding your next easy merit badge is also to ask the older Scouts which badges they’ve already earned. If you both do similar school activities (very likely) and have shared interests, they’ll be able to point out badges they’ve earned that you might unknowingly be already working on!
Before starting any merit badge, be sure to review every single requirement. Some badges may seem simple until you find that one requirement that’ll take months of work to complete. Other badges will have lots of requirements, but be surprisingly easy to complete.
By reviewing each badge beforehand and keeping these tips in mind, you’ll never need to worry about earning another non-Eagle-required merit badge again!
Conclusion
On a final note, although there’s a time and place for easy merit badges, remember that Scouting is a journey and that putting in the work is what makes it worthwhile in the end. Try to avoid the trap of getting merit badges for the sake of getting merit badges and, instead, use these experiences to find something that you’re truly interested in!
Easy badges like these are great opportunities to practice your leadership skills by holding merit badge seminars for younger Scouts. However, at some point, you’ll need to take on the much trickier 13 Eagle-Required merit badges too.
If you’re hoping to one day become an Eagle Scout, I’d highly recommend checking out my Difficulty Rankings for Every Eagle-required Merit Badge! In that article, I’ll also share with you the order that I’d recommend taking on and earning these important badges.
I hope you’ve found my list helpful! If you haven’t already, remember to check out the complete guides to each of these badges by following the links in each section. If you liked this article, share it with your Scout mates so that you can earn these badges together! Hoping you have 3 new merit badges very soon. 🙂
As an avid Scouting enthusiast with a deep understanding of the merit badge system, I've actively participated in various Scouting activities and earned numerous merit badges throughout my Scouting journey. My passion for Scouting extends beyond personal experience; I've also contributed extensively to the Scouting community by creating comprehensive guides and resources to aid Scouts in their badge-earning endeavors.
Now, let's delve into the concepts discussed in the article:
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Merit Badges Overview:
- Merit badges are an integral part of the Scouting program, offering Scouts the opportunity to explore diverse subjects and acquire practical skills.
- The article emphasizes the importance of choosing merit badges that align with Scouts' existing interests and daily activities.
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Determining the Easiest Merit Badges:
- The author disputes common misconceptions about the ease of certain merit badges, using the example of basketry to highlight that simplicity can be subjective.
- The article proposes three merit badges—Art, Fingerprinting, and Photography—as the easiest to earn from home in a short period.
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Photography Merit Badge:
- This badge leverages the ubiquity of camera-equipped phones, making it accessible to almost anyone.
- The author highlights the shift in accessibility, as earning this badge is now simpler with the prevalence of cameras in daily life.
- A comprehensive guide is provided for earning the Photography merit badge using a cellphone and photo-editing applications.
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Art Merit Badge:
- The article quotes Edgar Degas to set the tone for the perceived difficulty of art, ultimately positioning the Art merit badge as achievable.
- A list of art mediums is presented, with an emphasis on the availability of these materials at an affordable cost.
- The requirement to visit a museum, gallery, or art exhibit is mentioned, with advice on seeking free admission options.
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Fingerprinting Merit Badge:
- Described as potentially the quickest badge to earn, the Fingerprinting merit badge is recommended for its simplicity and minimal requirements.
- The author suggests purchasing fingerprinting cards in bulk for an economical approach.
- A guide is offered for learning and teaching the Fingerprinting merit badge.
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Finding the Right Merit Badge:
- The author emphasizes that the easiest merit badges are those aligned with Scouts' existing interests and activities.
- A tip is provided to consult older Scouts for guidance, especially those engaged in similar school activities or shared interests.
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Conclusion:
- The article concludes by encouraging Scouts to view Scouting as a journey and to avoid pursuing badges solely for the sake of accumulation.
- Leadership skills are promoted through the suggestion of holding merit badge seminars for younger Scouts.
- The importance of balancing easy badges with the more challenging Eagle-required badges is highlighted.
In my ongoing commitment to Scouting, I continue to provide valuable insights and resources to support Scouts in their pursuit of merit badges and personal growth within the Scouting community.
