How to hire an activities aide

How to hire an activities aide, step by step

Here's a step-by-step activities aide hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an activities aide job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new activities aide
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an activities aide do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an activities aide, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An activities aide's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, activities aides from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of activities aides.

   Type of Activities Aide	Description	Hourly rate
   Activities Aide	Recreation workers design and lead recreational and leisure activities for groups in volunteer agencies or recreation facilities, such as playgrounds, parks, camps, aquatic centers, and senior centers. They may lead activities such as arts and crafts, dance, sports, adventure programs, music, and camping.	$10-16
   Day Camp Counselor	The job of the camp counselors is to develop recreational plans and oversee camp activities in residential camps. Their duties and responsibilities include organizing camping trips, planning and scheduling group activities, and guiding children and teenagers in various outdoor activities such as swimming and hiking... Show more	$9-21
   Camp Counselor	Camp counselors' general responsibility is the supervision of a camping event. Camp counselors' duties include reiterating the rules and regulations, emergency drills and procedures, and related standard protocols to ensure that the campers maintain a safe camping environment... Show more	$7-16

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Rehabilitation
   • PET
   • Nursing Home
   • Compassion
   • Taking Care
   • Long-Term Care Facility
   • Home Health
   • CPR
   • Transport Residents
   • Federal Regulations
   • Facility Rules
   • Fire Safety
   • Developmental Disabilities

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Prevent or manage aggressive behavior among individuals and administer CPR in emergency intervention.
   • Prepare activities - baking, bingo, therapeutic chores, range of motion, table games, etc.
   • Assist residents of the facility with every day activities such as board games, checkers, and community bingo.
   • Launch new division of ministry and set precedent for new groups focuse on follow up and recruiting new leaders.
   • Supervise activities gear toward residents with severe dementia and Alzheimer's such as sing-a-long, current events and live entertainment.
   • Plan activities, take residents on trips, fed residents, transport residents, supervise Alzheimer's activities, prepare meals

   More activities aide duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your activities aide job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An activities aide can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, activities aides' average salary in louisiana is 51% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level activities aides 40% less than senior-level activities aides.
   • Certifications. An activities aide with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an activities aide's salary.

   Average activities aide salary

   $13.41hourly

   $27,892 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level activities aide salary

   $21,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average activities aide salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$37,013	$18
   2	California	$30,978	$15
   3	New Hampshire	$30,900	$15
   4	Maryland	$29,524	$14
   5	Iowa	$29,426	$14
   6	Wisconsin	$26,539	$13
   7	Pennsylvania	$25,591	$12
   8	Illinois	$25,166	$12
   9	Ohio	$24,478	$12
   10	Indiana	$22,593	$11
   11	Texas	$22,371	$11
   12	Tennessee	$22,294	$11
   13	Kentucky	$21,970	$11
   14	South Carolina	$21,859	$11

   Average activities aide salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York	$32,949	$15.84
   2	Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners	$32,939	$15.84	7
   3	Touro College	$32,248	$15.50
   4	Legacy Health	$31,966	$15.37	1
   5	St Luke's Hospital & Health Network Inc	$31,403	$15.10
   6	Iowa Department of Transportation	$31,294	$15.05
   7	Sharp HealthCare	$31,285	$15.04	2
   8	Munson Healthcare	$31,276	$15.04	3
   9	Benedictine Health System	$31,238	$15.02	28
   10	Trinity Health	$31,224	$15.01	128
   11	Health Alliance	$31,061	$14.93	5
   12	CuyunaMedicalCenter	$30,998	$14.90
   13	SEARHC	$30,987	$14.90	2
   14	The Center for Health Care Services	$30,876	$14.84
   15	Delaware State Government	$30,573	$14.70	2
   16	Essentia Health	$30,517	$14.67	8
   17	State Of Illinois - Illinois Student Assistance Commission	$30,473	$14.65	4
   18	St. Peter's Health Partners	$30,091	$14.47	18
   19	Visalia Unified School District	$30,002	$14.42
   20	Providence Health & Services	$29,878	$14.36	7

4. Writing an activities aide job description

   An activities aide job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an activities aide job description:

   Activities aide job description example

   Riddle Village, a lifecare retirement community, is seeking Full-Time Activities Aides to join our Wellness team!
   
   Riddle Village is considered retirement living at its finest. But none of this would be possible without our exceptional, dedicated associates. Riddle Village's culture has a simple philosophy, "Smile and say hello; everything else will follow."
   
   Our associates are also provided an excellent benefits package, which includes medical, dental, and vision coverage, numerous voluntary insurance plans, a retirement savings plan with employer match, a generous paid time off package that includes seven paid holidays, a tuition reimbursement program, and an attendance incentive program that rewards associates who do not call out. Regardless of employment status, all our associates enjoy free parking, discounted meals in our café, and free access to our fitness center. If you are enthusiastic about working with the elderly and want to be part of an incredible team and pleasant work environment, then Riddle Village may be the place for you!
   About the Activities Aide Position:
   
   The primary purpose of the Activities Aide position is to assist the Activities Coordinator and Personal Care Administrator with planning, organizing, developing, and directing the overall operation of the department. This will be accomplished in accordance with all applicable and current guidelines and regulations and as may be directed by management in order to assure that an ongoing program of activities is designed to meet the interests and the physical, mental, and psychosocial needs of each resident.
   
   Job Requirements:
   
   * Must have graduated high school/GED equivalent
   * Experience preferred but not required
   * Must display excellent customer service, interpersonal, and communication skills
   * Must be interested in working with senior citizens
   * Must be able to use the computer and knowledgeable of Microsoft Office
   * Must be flexible with filling in for call-outs and other shift vacancies
   * Must be creative and able to develop activity programs appropriate for the elderly population for all levels of care (independent, assisted, and skilled)

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find activities aides for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any activities aides they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level activities aides with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your activities aide job on Zippia to find and recruit activities aide candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit activities aides, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new activities aide

   Once you've decided on a perfect activities aide candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new activities aide. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an activities aide?