What Does an Activities Aide Do?

An activity aide is responsible for facilitating recreation activities under the supervision of a recreation leader within nursing homes or other related institutions. Activity aides ensure the adequacy of resources and supplies according to the activity's instructions and budget limitations. They also reiterate the safety protocols and guidelines to the participants, as well as conducting inspections of the facilities to prevent potential hazards. An activity aide must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in writing reports and escalating concerns for immediate resolution.

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Activities Aide Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real activities aide resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

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
Partner with children's ministry leader to provide care for children in the church nursery during church services and events.
Provide medical care and assistance with personal hygiene to elder and/or handicap patients of varying medical diagnosis.
Work closely with recreational therapists to ensure each resident have daily activities that challenge patients physically and mentally.
Coordinate social and educational opportunities for physician alumni in association with residency programs to build loyalty to the organization.
Develop system wide physician alumni program to engage alumni in the organization's priorities of community benefit and philanthropy.
Plan activities base on assign student's IEP to encourage appropriate independence and facilitate/support student's participation in all activities.
Prepare regular charts on patient's health relate history, medication restrictions and allergies.
Collaborate with other teachers or administrators to develop, evaluate, or revise kindergarten or elementary school programs.

Activities Aide Job Description

Perhaps the hardest question to answer when deciding on a career as an activities aide is "should I become an activities aide?" You might find this info to be helpful. When compared to other jobs, activities aide careers are projected to have a growth rate described as "faster than average" at 8% from 2018 through 2028. This is in accordance with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. What's more, is that the projected number of opportunities that are predicted to become available for a activities aide by 2028 is 33,800.

Activities aides average about $13.41 an hour, which makes the activities aide annual salary $27,892. Additionally, activities aides are known to earn anywhere from $21,000 to $35,000 a year. This means that the top-earning activities aides make $10,000 more than the lowest earning ones.

It's hard work to become an activities aide, but even the most dedicated employees consider switching careers from time to time. Whether you're interested in a more challenging position or just looking for a fresh start, we've compiled extensive information on becoming a day camp counselor, camp counselor, senior counselor, and camp director.

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12 Activities Aide Resume Examples

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Samuel Ramos Activities Aide Contact Information New York, NY (530) 555-1545 sramos@example.com Skills Daily Activities Special Events Independent Living Efficient Responses Loss Prevention Initial Assessment Retail Sales Patience Ross Fire Safety Employment History Activities Aide 2011 - Present YWCA USA New York, NY Assisted children in all daily activities including, but not limited to: toileting, personal hygiene, dressing and eating. Aided in varied areas of afterschool curriculum, athletic and recreational activities. Worked as a community service leader my junior year in high school. Assist with recreational activities and functions with geriatric population. Activities Aide 2008 - 2011 RUXTON HEALTH CARE Martinsburg, WV Assisted nursing staff with patient care and family relations. Experience working with residents with different levels of cognitive abilities, including dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Job included daily reports on activity participation. Brand Representative 2002 - 2008 Macy's Martinsburg, WV Shared product knowledge with customers while making personal recommendations. Maintained high standards in customer service and complied with company policies. Clean up and maintain sales floor where assigned. Education Bachelor's Degree Business 1999 - 2002 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD


Emily Young Activities Aide Contact Info Indianapolis, IN (930) 555-2393 eyoung@example.com Skills Steam TablesMenu ItemsCustomer ServiceADLFood ServiceRecreational ActivitiesCPRPatient CareActivity ProgramsPOS Employment History Activities Aide 2018 - Present AT HOME HEALTH CARE Indianapolis, IN Care provider Shopping Cleaning Food Preparation Personal care needs Provide Nutritional meals for patients Personal care for patients Ensuring Med were taken Direct patient care includes glucose test administration, medication administration and injections, monitoring intake and output. Activities Aide 2017 - 2018 AT HOME HEALTH CARE Indianapolis, IN Maintained all confidential personnel files, licensing and CPR compliance records. Provide direct patient care Administer and monitor medications Assist with bathing, feeding, and exercising Transport patient to medical appointments Observe and report on patient's condition Provide assistance with personal care and ADLs Meal planning and preparation. Observe client behavior and prepare preliminary recommendations regarding placement of clients in activity programs. Concession Worker 2011 - 2017 McDonald's Saint Louis, MO Clean restaurant and provide good customer service. Work grill, prep food, assembly line, customer service, cleaning Cashier and bagged food for drive-thru and front counter. Education Bachelor's Degree Psychology 2008 - 2011 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL


Nathan Davis Activities Aide Chicago, IL (610) 555-4502 ndavis@example.com Experience Activities Aide2019 - Present Selfhelp Community Services•Chicago, IL Implemented methods to properly discipline children with severe behavioral issues. Maintain records of patient care, or problems to report and discuss observations with supervisor or case manager. Used a reward based system to motivate and recognize all students regardless of their behavioral issues. Activity Assistant2017 - 2019 GreenWood•Oakbrook Terrace, IL Provide clients with communication assistance, typing their correspondence or obtaining information for them. Provided scheduled activities for different levels of dementia and physical care. Plan, organize, and implement daily activities for residents and staff on a monthly. Performed assessments, Developed treatment plans, Planned interventions, and Implemented programs. Lifeguard/Swim Instructor2014 - 2017 Glenview Farmers Market•Oakbrook Terrace, IL Maintained chemical balance for the pools. Worked as a lifeguard over summers for the past few years Water Safety Instructor experience: Instruct children from 1 to 12 years of age in the American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim Program. Be able to respond to an emergency and contact/activate EMS. Red Cross and Nassau County Certified Lifeguard Red Cross Water Safety Instructor Certified Worked as a lifeguard for 1.5 years, then asked to teach swim lessons for both youth and adult. Skills EmergencyResident ActivitySkill LevelsPowerpointSafety RulesLesson PlansCommunity OutingsRecreational ActivitiesUnsafe ConditionsPublic Safety Education Bachelor's Degree Computer Science2011 - 2014 DeVry University•Oakbrook Terrace, IL

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Activities Aide Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 18% of Activities Aides are proficient in Patients, Rehabilitation, and PET. They’re also known for soft skills such as Flexibility, Physical strength, and Communication skills.

We break down the percentage of Activities Aides that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Patients, 18%
Worked closely with recreational therapists to ensure each resident had daily activities that challenged patients physically and mentally.
Rehabilitation, 14%
Provided assigned rehabilitation activities for clients according to their Treatment Plans to facilitate them in meeting their discharge criteria.
PET, 12%
Plant and Pet care, Will be expected to participate in Department in-service training.
Nursing Home, 10%
Assisted Activity Director in conducting activities for nursing home residents.
Compassion, 7%
Helped residents feel good about themselves through my caring and compassion and maintain independence through activities.
Taking Care, 5%
Assisted with taking care of the kids during summer activities.

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"patients," "rehabilitation," and "pet" aren't the only skills we found activities aides list on their resumes. In fact, there's a whole list of activities aide responsibilities that we found, including:

Flexibility can be considered to be the most important personality trait for an activities aide to have. According to a activities aide resume, "recreation workers must be flexible when planning activities" activities aides are able to use flexibility in the following example we gathered from a resume: "cited for excellence in interpersonal communications, teamwork, customer service, flexibility and reliability. "

While it may not be the most important skill, we found that many activities aide duties rely on physical strength. This example from a activities aide explains why: "most recreation workers should be physically fit." This resume example is just one of many ways activities aides are able to utilize physical strength: "document and report daily resident participation and any physical or mental changes. "

Another skill that is quite popular among activities aides is communication skills. This skill is very critical to fulfilling every day responsibilities as is shown in this example from a activities aide resume: "recreation workers must be able to communicate well" This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "team player basic computer knowledge front desk experience first aid/cpr/aed certified excellent communication skills great organization skills"

A thorough review of lots of resumes revealed to us that "problem-solving skills" is important to completing activities aide responsibilities. This resume example shows just one way activities aides use this skill: "recreation workers need strong problem-solving skills" Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical activities aide tasks: "provide crisis intervention and conflict resolution in matters amongst clients. "

Another common skill for an activities aide to be able to utilize is "leadership skills." Recreation workers should be able to lead both large and small groups an activities aide demonstrated the need for this skill by putting this on their resume: "provided and maintained high level of customer service arranged activities leadership client relations"

See the full list of activities aide skills.

After discovering the most helpful skills, we moved onto what kind of education might be helpful in becoming an activities aide. We found that 32.9% of activities aides have graduated with a bachelor's degree and 2.4% of people in this position have earned their master's degrees. While some activities aides have a college degree, you may find it's also true that generally it's possible to be successful in this career with only a high school degree. In fact, our research shows that one out of every four activities aides were not college graduates.

Those activities aides who do attend college, typically earn either psychology degrees or business degrees. Less commonly earned degrees for activities aides include nursing degrees or general studies degrees.

When you're ready to become an activities aide, you might wonder which companies hire activities aides. According to our research through activities aide resumes, activities aides are mostly hired by The Center for Health Care Services, Guardian Healthcare, and Regency Health Services Inc. Now is a good time to apply as The Center for Health Care Services has 40 activities aides job openings, and there are 14 at Guardian Healthcare and 13 at Regency Health Services Inc.

But if you're interested in companies where you might earn a high salary, activities aides tend to earn the biggest salaries at Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners, and Touro College. Take Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York for example. The median activities aide salary is $32,949. At Maine Health/maine Mental Health Partners, activities aides earn an average of $32,939, while the average at Touro College is $32,248. You should take into consideration how difficult it might be to secure a job with one of these companies.

View more details on activities aide salaries across the United States.

If you earned a degree from the top 100 educational institutions in the United States, you might want to take a look at Michigan State University, Miami University, and Kennedy Krieger Institute. These three companies have hired a significant number of activities aides from these institutions.

The three companies that hire the most prestigious activities aides are:

The Center for Health Care Services40 Activities Aides Jobs
Guardian Healthcare14 Activities Aides Jobs
Regency Health Services Inc13 Activities Aides Jobs

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What Day Camp Counselors Do

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. They are expected to lead campers in emergency procedures and fire drills, explain safety rules and procedures, and provide emotional support to campers. Camp counselors are also responsible for assessing and responding to emergencies when they arise.

We looked at the average activities aide annual salary and compared it with the average of a day camp counselor. Generally speaking, day camp counselors receive $1,492 higher pay than activities aides per year.

Even though activities aides and day camp counselors have vast differences in their careers, a few of the skills required to do both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require pet, cpr, and developmental disabilities in the day-to-day roles.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. An activities aide responsibility is more likely to require skills like "patients," "rehabilitation," "nursing home," and "compassion." Whereas a day camp counselor requires skills like "kids," "cleanliness," "leadership," and "direct supervision." Just by understanding these different skills you can see how different these careers are.

Day camp counselors really shine in the education industry with an average salary of $34,530. Whereas activities aides tend to make the most money in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $30,533.

The education levels that day camp counselors earn is a bit different than that of activities aides. In particular, day camp counselors are 5.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an activities aide. Additionally, they're 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What Are The Duties Of a 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. A camp counselor should possess strong leadership and decision-making skills to develop recreational programs and immediately resolve concerns that might affect everyone's overall camping experience. Camp counselors also help develop social interaction, promote teamwork, and monitor participation among campers.

The next role we're going to look at is the camp counselor profession. Typically, this position earns a lower pay. In fact, they earn a $3,552 lower salary than activities aides per year.

Not everything about these jobs is different. Take their skills, for example. Activities aides and camp counselors both include similar skills like "cpr," "developmental disabilities," and "emotional support" on their resumes.

But both careers also use different skills, according to real activities aide resumes. While activities aide responsibilities can utilize skills like "patients," "rehabilitation," "pet," and "nursing home," some camp counselors use skills like "kids," "summer camps," "role model," and "child care."

Camp counselors may earn a lower salary than activities aides, but camp counselors earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $29,249. On the other side of things, activities aides receive higher paychecks in the manufacturing industry where they earn an average of $30,533.

When it comes to the differences in education between the two professions, camp counselors tend to reach similar levels of education than activities aides. In fact, they're 2.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

How a Senior Counselor Compares

The responsibilities of a senior counselor will depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Most of the time, a senior counselor works with the youth, particularly children. They focus on facilitating recreational programs, ensuring a safe and fun experience for them. They may also assess the children's condition and needs, providing them with the necessary assistance and guidance. Furthermore, when a senior counselor must reach out to parents and guardians, they may inform them of any concerns or progress.

The senior counselor profession generally makes a higher amount of money when compared to the average salary of activities aides. The difference in salaries is senior counselors making $99,513 higher than activities aides.

While looking through the resumes of several activities aides and senior counselors we discovered that both professions have similar skills. These similarities include skills such as "patients," "taking care," and "cpr," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

As mentioned, these two careers differ between other skills that are required for performing the work exceedingly well. For example, gathering from activities aides resumes, they are more likely to have skills like "rehabilitation," "pet," "nursing home," and "compassion." But a senior counselor might have skills like "litigation," "legal advice," "legal issues," and "legal support."

When it comes to education, senior counselors tend to earn higher education levels than activities aides. In fact, they're 10.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 18.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Description Of a Camp Director

A camp director spearheads and oversees the operations of recreational camps and their programs. They manage the camps' daily activities and supervise the employees, ensuring that campers get to receive optimal services and experience. A camp director is mostly responsible for setting goals and guidelines, establishing budgets and timelines, planning events and activities, liaising with internal and external parties, and building strong relationships with business partners. Moreover, a camp director leads and motivates staff to reach goals, all while implementing the camps' safety policies and regulations.

Now, we'll look at camp directors, who generally average a higher pay when compared to activities aides annual salary. In fact, the difference is about $10,783 per year.

Even though a few skill sets overlap, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an activities aide might have more use for skills like "patients," "rehabilitation," "pet," and "nursing home." Meanwhile, some camp directors might include skills like "role model," "safety procedures," "kids," and "staff supervision" on their resume.

In general, camp directors make a higher salary in the education industry with an average of $37,701. The highest activities aide annual salary stems from the manufacturing industry.

In general, camp directors reach higher levels of education when compared to activities aides resumes. Camp directors are 9.6% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Updated October 2, 2020