How to Earn All Four Girl Scout Daisy Cookie Badges

*This post contains affiliate links.

Cookie season is one of the busiest times for a Girl Scout leader, especially if it is your first or even you second year participating.

You will still be running meetings alongside cookie sales, so you time to plan has been stretched even further. Many leaders want their girls to earn one of the cookie badges since it is relevant during cookie season. 

In order to save you time, I have created meeting plans for all of the badges.

Which Girl Scout Daisy Badges Do Troops Earn First?

The four badges are structured so that you earn one cookie badge and one financial badge each year. These badges are replacing the leaves that were once part of the daisy.

Available on Teachers Pay Teachers

Available on Teachers Pay Teachers

My First Cookie Business and My Money Choices are meant to be earned Year One.

Cookie Goal Setter and Money Explorer are meant to be earned Year Two.

Available on Teachers Pay Teachers

Available on Teachers Pay Teachers

Do You Have to Earn the Girl Scout Daisy Cookie Badges in Order?

There is no hard and fast rule for badge earning at any level. While the GSUSA has made it easier for leaders by assigning badges to specific years, you can mix it up if you want. The only thing I will warn is that the set of Year Two badges is a bit more advanced, so you may need to adapt the activities for kindergarteners.

What Badges Should Second Year Daisies Do if This is Their First Year Selling Girl Scout Cookies?

My suggestion to you is to earn the Year One badges for this troop of girls. It is really as basic as it gets and the girls will find the activities easier.

Can a Second Year Daisy Troop Earn All Four Badges in One Year?

While the simple answer is yes, you can earn all four in one year, I want you to think about why you want to do this. The badges are very repetitive. The reason for this is just like school...you build on what you learned the previous year. You don't start doing long division in first grade, you learn your math facts and build up to long division.

Because the activities are repetitive, you might want to "double dip", ie, use one activity for two badges. That is not allowed. Each badge has three steps and you need to do all three in order to earn the badge. Badge earning is not a competition to see who can fill up their uniform the fastest. It is a learning experience.

Girl Scout Daisy Print and Go Booth Decor

In the early 2010's, the GSUSA promoted "Blinging Your Booth", aka, decorating it to attract customers. It is one more layer to cookie sales that leaders may not have time to do.

I have just the product for you!

The Girl Scout Daisy Cookie Booth Decor Kit is all print and go. 

Available on Teachers Pay Teachers

What badges is your troop earning for cookie season?

Girl Scout Daisy Cookie Sale Resources

*This post contains affiliate links. 

It's that time of year...Girl Scout cookie season!

If you decided to take the plunge and sell cookies with your troop, here are some blog posts from the past to help you get your bearings.

One thing that girls love is to receive recognition for their accomplishments (and come to think of it, don't we all love to be recognized for a job well done?)

In my Teachers Pay Teachers shop, I have a Girl Scout Daisy Certificate and Cookie Box Label product.  

The 9 items included in this resource are:

• First Cookie Booth certificate
• Daisy Specific Congratulations certificate
• Hard Work certificate
• Enthusiastic Helper certificate
• First Cookie Booth certificate
• Certificate of Appreciation for the girls' help
• Certificate of Thanks for Cookie Mom
• Certificate of Thanks for Cookie Dad
• Set of 8 Daisy "Thank You" labels girls can cut and paste to their cookie boxes

Every girl is going to contribute in one way or another. Some may have a lot of parental support while others will have none. Girls who help at meetings can also be recognized for their efforts.

These certificates can be given at your troop cookie selling celebration. They are perfect for Girl Scout scrapbooks!

What are your cookie goals for the year?

10 Free Girl Scout Cookie Printables, Door Hangers, and Thank You Notes

Updated November 2022

If you are selling Girl Scout cookies this year, it is the perfect time to throw in a lesson on good manners and to teach the girls about being considerate and caring (they can even earn the spring green petal by doing this activity).

Here is a list of resources for you to use with your troop. These are free printable Girl Scout cookie thank you cards and tags. You can have the girls attach them to the boxes they sell and have them sign their first name only, or you can have them sign with the troop number.

Image created by the author on Canva

If you do not wish to print these from your own printer and use up all of your own ink,then I suggest going to your nearest Kinko's or Staples and printing them there. Save your receipt to be reimbursed.

Girl Scout Thank You cards and printables can be found: 

Teachers Pay Teachers free Cookie Booth checklist

Troop Leader Mom Door hangers for people who are not home

MissyBalance (girls can color these in if you want)

Flickr.com ABC Bakers Thank You card page

Fashionable Moms Girl Scout Thank You certificates

Fashionable Moms Cookie Box Wrap

Mommy Snippets Bookmark thank you

Get Smoore Printable Thank you

Sowdering About Printable Door Hangers

10 Free Printables for Girl Scout Cookie Season-Thank You Notes, Door Hangers and More

If you are selling Girl Scout cookies this year, it is the perfect time to throw in a lesson on good manners and to teach the girls about being considerate and caring (they can even earn the spring green petal by doing this activity).

Here is a list of resources for you to use with your troop.  These are free printable Girl Scout cookie thank you cards and tags. You can have the girls attach them to the boxes they sell and have them sign their first name only, or you can have them sign with the troop number.

Image from Canva

If you do not wish to print these from your own printer and use up all of your own ink,then I suggest going to your nearest Kinko's or Staples and printing them there. Save your receipt to be reimbursed.

Girl Scout Thank You cards and printables can be found:

Fashionable Moms Updated 2019 free printables. Go to the Google Drive link to see them all

Troop Leader Mom Door hangers for people who are not home

MissyBalance (girls can color these in if you want)

Flickr.com ABC Bakers Thank You card page

Fashionable Moms  Printable stickers to put on each box

Fashionable Moms Girl Scout Thank You certificates

Fashionable Moms Cookie Box Wrap

Mommy Snippets Bookmark thank you

Get Smoore Printable Thank you

Sowdering About Printable Door Hangers

10 Girl Scout Cookie Booth Selling Tips

Updated December 2021

In many parts of the country, it is Girl Scout cookie selling season. As a new leader, I am sure you have many questions about what to do and how to do it.

Images by Hannah Gold and altered by the author in Canva

One of the ways to get your troop to sell like a team is to work cookie booths. Girl Scout Daisies need to have fewer booths and shorter work times than older scouts, but this is still the number one way for troops to sell massive quantities of cookies.

On my main Girl Scout leader blog, you can read 10 Girl Scout Cookie Booth Selling Tips-How to Rock Your Booth and Increase Sales This Cookie Season. All of these tips will work for younger scouts.

Good luck with your sales!

How to Earn the Girl Scout Daisy Talk It Up Leaf

Discover how to earn the Girl Scout Daisy Talk It Up leaf as your troop learns how to use the money it has earned.

Updated January 2021

*Please bear in mind that we are in a pandemic. Skipping cookies this year or having a small sales goal is perfectly acceptable. Years ago, Girl Scout Daisies were not permitted to sell cookies. Their safety and yours is paramount.

The final leaf that your Daisy Girl Scouts can earn is called Talk It Up. At this point, the girls are starting their cookie sales and you will be tracking your progress to reach the goals that you made with the Count It Up leaf. Armed with knowledge about the different types of cookies, what money looks like and knowing what things cost, the girls are ready for the big time!

Here is how your girls can earn the Girl Scout Daisy Talk It Up leaf.

By Dsafdy (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons and altered by the author on Canva

Step 1 How to Earn the Girl Scout Daisy Talk It Up Leaf

Decide How to Use Your Cookie Money

Ask girls if they know what saving money means and discuss why it is important to save. If the girls want to go on a big trip with their earnings, then it cannot all be spent on other things during the rest of the scouting year.

At the end of the sale, make a chart like the one in the Daisy binder and have the girls see the numbers.

Step 2 How to Earn the Girl Scout Daisy Talk It Up Leaf
Talk About How to Use Cookie Money to Help Others

Life isn't always about us. It also has to be about others...that is the crux of the Girl Scout Promise. Friendly and Helpful, Considerate and Caring, Respect Myself and Others... it is what scouts do.

After you have decided on where you want a portion of the money to go, have the girls create a poster to share at your booth. If it an animal shelter, you can print out pictures animals and the organization's logo.

Step 3 How to Earn the Girl Scout Daisy Talk It Up Leaf
Inspire Your Customers

Some girls do not mind talking to strangers while others can do it easily. It is a good idea to role play different cookie scenarios with them so they do not get upset if someone says, "No, thank you" or asks them how the money they raise is used.

How to Earn the Girl Scout Daisy Count It Up Leaf

Discover how to earn the Girl Scout Daisy Count it Up leaf as your troop undertakes the tradition of selling Girl Scout cookies.

Updated January 2021

*Please bear in mind that we are in a pandemic. Skipping cookies this year or having a small sales goal is perfectly acceptable. Years ago, Girl Scout Daisies were not permitted to sell cookies. Their safety and yours is paramount.

The third Daisy leaf in the quartet the girls can earn is called Count It Up. This can be done at the start of cookie selling season. Although I am not a fan of first year leaders selling cookies, if you are going to, start by reading this blog post on 10 Girl Scout Cookie Selling Tips for New Leaders.

Here is how your troop can earn the Daisy Girl Scout Count It Up Leaf.

Photo from Pixabay

Step 1 to Earn the Girl Scout Daisy Count It Up Leaf

Find Out What Cookies Cost

Depending on where you live, Girl Scout cookies cost $4.00 or $5.00 a box. How many one dollar bills is that? If someone gives you a $5.00 bill, how much change should s/he get back?

Step 2 to Earn the Girl Scout Daisy Count It Up Leaf
Learn About the Different Kinds of Cookies

Here is an opportunity for a taste testing party (of course, if there are allergies, you will either have to skip this or make sure that child/children does not eat something she shouldn't).  This also does not mean that you have to open one of every flavor, maybe one or two of the classics and one of the newest flavor to join the cookie family.

Photo Collage by Hannah Gold

On my Girl Scout Cookie Selling Ideas Pinterest board, there are a few games that you can make (if you want) to help the girls learn about the cookies they will be selling. 

Step 3 to Earn the Girl Scout Daisy Count It Up Leaf
Set Sales Goals

Materials

• Posterboard
• Markers

Before the meeting, make a large thermometer on a piece of posterboard and entitle it "Troop 12345's Cookie Goals". This is a TROOP GOAL POSTER and not to be an individual girl poster. Cookie season brings out the worst in leaders. Troop money is troop money and if you do not believe me, it is written on page 21 in the official Girl Scouts Blue Book.

Cookie selling is voluntary and I wrote about it in depth in this blog post on my main Girl Scout leader site and in this post on my Daisy blog.

I also have a blog post on why girls do not sell 1,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies and why leaders need to stop stressing over it. You can read it here.

Talk to your girls about how many boxes they want to sell as a troop. Are they realistic? Young children really do not have a strong concept of numbers that are large, or even small for that matter. It is hard for them to visualize the difference between 100 and 1000. You may want to bring in some kind of visual, like a bag of beans or math chips, to demonstrate the difference.

You may want to make incremental goals with a small reward as you go up the chart. For example, at the 100 box mark you may want to give them a special sticker or a small, edible treat. While not necessary, it does give little girls a reward for the work they are doing.

How to Earn the Girl Scout Daisy Making Choices Leaf

Discover how to earn the Girl Scout Daisy Making Choices leaf as your troop begins to understand the difference between needs and wants.

Updated January 2021

*Please bear in mind that we are in a pandemic. Skipping cookies this year or having a small sales goal is perfectly acceptable. Years ago, Girl Scout Daisies were not permitted to sell cookies. Their safety and yours is paramount.

If you are a parent, then you know the challenges of taking your child out to a store. It does not matter what kind of store it is, almost always, children will find something that they want. Then there is the inevitable conversation about why she cannot have the newly coveted item. And all you hope for is to leave the store without a scene.

It does get a bit better when your child is older because they have a clearer understanding of needs versus wants. My kids still ask for things, and if they truly want it, they have to figure out a way to earn all or part of the money for the item in question if I do not feel it is a need.

The Girl Scout Daisy Making Choices leaf is all about teaching the girls about needs versus wants.

Photo from Pixabay

Step 1 How to Earn the Girl Scout Daisy Making Choices Leaf

Find Out the Difference Between Needs Versus Wants

Materials

Pictures cut out of magazines or printed off the internet of needs (houses, food, clothing) and wants (toys, a swimming pool, a television). They should be large in size so the girls can see it easily.

Sit the girls in a circle and ask what they think they need to live. How is that different from things they want? (you need a house, you do not need a Barbie car).

Show each picture. Have the girls stand up if it is a want and stay seated if it is a need. Ask why they made the choices they did.

Step 2 How to Earn the Girl Scout Daisy Making Choices Leaf

Try Setting a Goal and Saving for What You Want

Materials

• Goal chart (search for one that you like online)
• Crayons or markers

This step ties in with the third step of the Money Counts leaf. Once you find out what the item you want costs, then you have to figure out a way to earn the money to buy it.

Ask the girls to think about one thing they want to buy but have not earned the money for it yet.  Talk about ways to achieve that goal. Can they do chores around the house or save money from birthdays or holidays?

Have the girls color around the goal chart and write the name of what they want at the top. At home they can find out how much the item costs and then start working towards that goal.

Step 3 How to Earn the Girl Scout Daisy Making Choices Leaf

Help Others With What They Need and Want

Ask the girls to imagine what they feel like when they are hungry. Is it a good feeling?  How do they feel if they are wearing shoes that are too small-can they run and play like they do if they are wearing shoes that fit?

Talk about children who may be lacking in the basics that the girls take for granted. How can they help?

List their ideas and vote on one to work on. Inform the parents that for the next meeting you will collecting items for the organization the girls want to donate to. Remember to contact them prior to the meeting so they do not forget.

How to Earn the Girl Scout Daisy Money Counts Leaf

Discover how to earn the Girl Scout Daisy Money Counts Leaf with your troop, which is the first Financial Literacy leaf to do.

*This post contains affiliate links.



Updated January 2021

*Please bear in mind that we are in a pandemic. Skipping cookies this year or having a small sales goal is perfectly acceptable. Years ago, Girl Scout Daisies were not permitted to sell cookies. Their safety and yours is paramount.

The Financial Literacy leaves are easy to incorporate during Girl Scout Cookie season. Late fall, right before the holidays, is the perfect time to introduce them because advertisements on television, radio and online are all focused on what to buy for someone or what you want someone to buy for you during the upcoming holiday season.

The first leaf to introduce is the Daisy Girl Scout Money Counts leaf. Be prepared to see that young children are not money savvy, and for many, they have never handled coins or bills before. When I was growing up, candy could still be bought for a penny, candy bars for a nickel or a dime, and packs of Donny Osmond cards for 7 cents. When Staples used to have the penny sales a few years ago during the Back to School season, I took my children there to buy items with coins. There is little opportunity for children to do that today.

The point of this leaf is not to make this seem like school, but to introduce money in a fun way.  

Here are activities you can do to help your girls earn the Daisy Money Counts leaf.

Image created on Canva

Step 1 to Earn the Girl Scout Daisy Money Counts Leaf 
Understand Different Kinds of Coins

Before your meeting, you will have to decide whether you are using real coins or play money. Then put the same type and amount of coins in individual baggies for each girl so they can do the activity.

Sit in a circle and do not hand out the girls their individual bags of coins until you are ready to use them. Teacher tip: A child will not pay attention to you, but they will start playing with any object set in front of them.

Hold each coin and talk about it-what is it worth?  Whose picture is on it? Then hold one up at a time in random order and have the girls shout out which coin it is.

Hand out a bag to each girl and have them empty it in front of them. Call out the name of a coin and have each child hold it up.  Then have them make a pattern based on the name of the coin you say. For example, "Lay out each coin as I say it. Penny, penny nickel, nickel, penny, penny, nickel, nickel: etc. Repeat a few times with different combinations. Collect the coins when done.

Another activity you can do with the bag of coins is to have the girls sort them. Place four paper or foam bowls in the center of the floor. Ask the girls to take turns and place whatever you call in the correct bowl. For example, "Place two pennies in the penny bowl."  The bowls can have a coin taped to the outside so the girls know which one to place it in.

A third thing you can do is have the girls examine each coin with a magnifying glass. Discuss how they are the same and different.

Step 2 to Earn the Girl Scout Daisy Money Counts Leaf 

Know More About Paper Money

Play Money Available on Amazon

When it comes to paper bills, I would use play money. This is an investment because there are activities you can do with them to teach the girls about money and giving change when they are older Brownie and Junior Girl Scouts.

Give each girl a play one dollar bill and talk about it. Repeat for the other bills. Then ask them how many one dollar bills equals a five dollar bill? A ten dollar bill? In teams, they can count the money together.

Step 3 to Earn the Girl Scout Daisy Money Counts Leaf
Find Out the Cost of Fun

If you are going to be selling cookies, what are you going to do with the money you make? Many girls want to go to a fun place like Build-a-Bear or make your own pottery class. Of course, this costs money! Talk with them about planning such an activity at the end of the troop year. 

You can use your phone to look up the cost of the trip and break it down for the girls to see.'

In addition, you can ask them what things they like to do that do not cost money and see if you can incorporate some of them into a meeting. For example, going on a hike will cost nothing or playing at the park has not cost as well. Taking a craft class at the library or visiting the Fire House are two more free activities you can do with your troop.

Free Printable Girl Scout Cookie Thank You Notes

Updated November 2019 

If you are knee deep in cookie sales, please visit this blog post from last year's cookie selling season to get your hands on some free printable Girl Scout cookie thank you notes. 

Photo from Pixabay

There are several different resources for you to use.

Top 10 Tips for Your Very First Girl Scout Cookie Selling Season

Updated December 2021

For many of you reading this blog post, this is your first year selling Girl Scout cookies. While I personally believe that you should not sell cookies your first leadership year since everything about being a leader is brand new to you, if you accepted the challenge of selling and have already attended your training session with your Cookie Mom, here are my top tips for surviving your very first year of Girl Scout cookie sales.

Photo by Hannah Gold

1. Have a Parent Meeting

What is most essential to a successful and less stressful cookie selling season is to have parents on board with you. This meeting can be held during the first 15 minutes of your regularly scheduled meeting. Have your co-leader or an older Girl Scout lead the Daisies in an activity while you go over the nuts and bolts cookie sales.

2. Put Everything in Writing

Parents love to use the excuse of “I didn’t know!” when if comes to dropping the ball. Somehow, it is never their fault, despite the numerous emails, forms and letters you sent home and the announcements in your private Facebook group.

I learned a long time ago that a good leader needs to get everything in writing. It prevents problems and provides time stamped evidence that you did indeed inform parents of deadlines and guidelines.

Put your rules and guidelines all in a time stamped email that must be responded to. What should the email cover?

• Parent Meeting Time
• Paperwork 
• Booth Sales
• Incentives
• How Money Will be Handled
• How Delinquent Money Will be Handled

No response=no cookies. For extra CYA insurance, hand out the form in advance of sales at your meeting a few weeks before the actual sale. Have a place to sign at the bottom and returned to you.

3. All Paperwork Must be Handed In Prior to Selling

In order for the girls to be able to sell cookies, paperwork must be signed by the parent and handed in. Keep all paperwork in an organized binder so you can keep track of who has handed in the necessary papers and who still owes you the documents.

Photo from Pixabay

4. Count, Count, Count Again!

Before releasing cookies to parents, both of you need to count the cookies separately and together. This ensures that there are no accounting mistakes on either part.

5. Go Over the Receipt Together 

When handing the receipt to the parent, circle the number of boxes s/he has taken. Go over it together so that both of you are on the same page. This ties in directly with #4.

NEVER hand over cookies to any parent without a receipt. This is your proof that s/he actually took the cookies.

6. Do Not Give Out More Cookies Until the Ones They Have Taken are Paid For

Suppose Susie’s parents take five cases of cookies. They want three more, but you have not received any money for the first five you released to them. You need to tell them that no cases will be given out until the first five are paid for. You do not want your troop responsible for the money if for some reason Susie’s parents never pay.

Every Council is different and some will cover part or all of your losses. See what you Council rules are regarding this matter. 

7. Don’t Overdo Booth Sales

By Drmies (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Daisy Girl Scouts have a limited attention span and ability to withstand the cold. Have a limited number of booth sales and be sure that the shifts are no more than two hours, max. The cute factor will turn into the whine factor rather quickly.

Also, do a handful of booth sales in the beginning when enthusiasm is high. Don't sign up to do one both Saturday and Sunday of every weekend. This will lead to both parent and leader burnout.

8. Set Firm Boundaries

Cookie sales can really eat up your personal time. If you are to survive with your sanity intact, you need to give yourself a break. No cookie talk/emails/texts after a certain hour. Unplug your phone and disengage from the computer. Inform parents of these boundaries and stick to them. There is no such thing as a cookie emergency that cannot wait until the next day. Hand out cookies at times that are convenient for you, not the other way around. 

9. Stock Up Your Fridge and Freezer

Because so much personal time is devoted to cookies, your desire and interest in cooking may be limited. Make some meals for the freezer for your busiest days, have your spouse do kitchen duty, and keep meals simple on booth sale days. Organic mac and cheese, soup and grilled cheese, fresh veggies and hummus, tacos, and crock pot meals can be healthy and inexpensive ways to feed your family. Your body and your wallet will thank you for not eating too much take out.

10. Do Not Take Parents Lack of Involvement Personally

You may have a girl or two not participate in cookie sales. Let it go. Unless you know exactly what is happening inside her home, this is none of your business. According to the GSUSA website, cookie selling is voluntary, not mandatory. 

Troop money is troop money, no matter who sells what amount. You can choose to aggravate yourself over this, but why would you? 

Have you learned any other tips that you wish to share?

Are You Stressing About Girl Scout Cookie Sales? Don't!

Updated December 2021

In almost every part of the country, it is Girl Scout cookie selling season. It is a time when cookie sales dominate our time and our meetings. It reminds me of the days when I was a public school teacher and we had to set aside our curriculum to review and study for the standardized tests we had to administer.

Quite honestly, it was boring for me as a teacher, and the kids moaned and groaned whenever we had to stop learning to teach for the test.

You may be feeling cookie stress right now. 

Image by Hannah Gold

As I have stated before, I do not believe that Daisy Scouts should be selling cookies during their first year together. It is a time to get to know about the world of scouting for them, and for brand new leaders, it is a time to learn how manage a troop effectively, not learn how to manage booth sales and cookie drop offs and pick ups. 

Until recently, Daisy Scouts were not permitted to sell cookies. This rule only changed a few years ago, and the collective memory is fading fast as leaders of older troops age out or leave and new leaders have no idea that Daisy troops selling cookies is a relatively new thing.

Image by Hannah Gold

My Cadette troop, for which I am now a co-leader, is doing their first cookie sales and they did an amazing job. Our Cookie Mom did not go overboard and cause herself, the leader or myself any additional stress. Limited booth sales and permitting girls to do as much or as little as they want in terms of sales made this a great experience for everyone.


Here are some tips to keep yourself sane during this very busy time (for more tips you can also check out this blog post).

1. Go easy on your girls. You are not supposed to set quotas for the girls, but you can help your troop set realistic goals about the number of boxes they want to sell and what to do with the cookie profits. Remember, little girls really have no concept of money-it is not age appropriate for them to understand. But they can comprehend that selling "X" numbers of boxes as a troop equals a trip to wherever they want to go.

2. Repeat after me...Troop money is troop money. You cannot tell a child she has to pay the full amount for a trip or that you will not pay for her uniform because she did not sell "X" number of cookies. Juliette Gordon Low did not establish the GSA so that girls could be excluded from activities. It is my opinion that far too many leaders get stuck in this mindset and aggravate themselves needlessly.

Kindergarten and first grade girls have no control over what they can and cannot sell. Taking your annoyance out on them is wrong on many levels. Unless you have a spy cam on the wall of her house, you have no idea why her family is not participating in cookie sales. Just accept that this is how it is and move on. 

3. Take a break from cookies. Have a troop meeting just for fun. With Saint Patrick's Day around the corner, why not read a story and do a fun craft? Or earn a petal that you have yet to do and just drop the cookie talk for a week. If you can, why not do some easy no-bake desserts and teach the girls good hygiene and manners?

Another thing to do is talk about the upcoming Girl Scout Week holiday. Can you discuss doing a service project to celebrate this anniversary?

My closing thoughts...

During this hectic selling season, it is easy to lose site of the overall goal of being a Girl Scout. If you remember the vision Juliette had for all girls, you will be able to remember that selling cookies, while part of Girl Scouting, is not the end all and be all of what we do and why we do it.