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What does a Recreation Leader do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
Quoted Expert
Ariel Rodríguez Ph.D., CPRP

The primary role of recreation leaders is to encourage recreational and sporting activities in various settings such as schools, parks, and youth centers. Their job requires them to motivate others to work as a team member while also promoting good morals and sportsmanship. They develop recreational and sports programs best suited for their company's client base. Other duties also include advertising the availability of recreational activities, securing funding for special events and projects, and adhering to safety practices.

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Recreation leader responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real recreation leader resumes:

  • Manage funds and resources to include developing the annual NAF budget, which include submission and prioritization of program component requirements.
  • Receive training in problem solving, peer mediation and first aid & CPR.
  • Train in CPR, food handlers, and videos of other health relate issues.
  • Include the use of PowerPoint, book references, and hands-on demonstration to verify attention to all learning styles.
  • Utilize clinical assessment, MDS documentation, and collaboration with interdisciplinary team and families.
  • Supervise and provide leadership for children participating in summer programs to ensure a safe and caring environment.
  • Direct age appropriate lessons and activities focusing on positive character development using reading, writing, and mathematics.
  • Incorporate knowledge of therapeutic concepts and methods for determining appropriate recreation therapy services for psychiatric, and chemically dependent, patients.
  • Assist in QA meetings and create action plans.
  • Participate in QA and QIS survey at a facility and corporate level.
  • Direct age appropriate lessons and activities focusing on positive character development using reading, writing, and mathematics.

Recreation leader skills and personality traits

We calculated that 25% of Recreation Leaders are proficient in CPR, Customer Service, and Recreation Programs. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Flexibility, and Leadership skills.

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

  • CPR, 25%

    Certified in CPR AND AED on adults and children.

  • Customer Service, 21%

    Enforced department polices governing public safety and quality service, display and professional customer service skills.

  • Recreation Programs, 7%

    Handled tasks of overseeing daily operations of the center including assistance in developing, promoting and implementing recreation programs.

  • Recreational Facilities, 5%

    Managed the daily operations of the recreational facilities and conferred with management to discuss and resolve participant complaints.

  • Role Model, 4%

    Inspire confidence and be an exemplary role model to both Recreational Aides and children during summer and winter school breaks.

  • Youth Sports, 4%

    Developed, coordinated and administered youth sports teams, educational programs and activities.

"cpr," "customer service," and "recreation programs" are among the most common skills that recreation leaders use at work. You can find even more recreation leader responsibilities below, including:

Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a recreation leader to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what recreation leaders do because "recreation workers must be able to communicate well." Additionally, a recreation leader resume shows how recreation leaders use communication skills: "provided guidance to youth through communication, listening skills, and positive role modeling. "

Flexibility. Another essential skill to perform recreation leader duties is flexibility. Recreation leaders responsibilities require that "recreation workers must be flexible when planning activities." Recreation leaders also use flexibility in their role according to a real resume snippet: "developed a supervisory structure that maximized flexibility and customer service. "

Leadership skills. This is an important skill for recreation leaders to perform their duties. For an example of how recreation leader responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "recreation workers should be able to lead both large and small groups." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a recreation leader: "used leadership skills to act as a role model to younger teens and promote a positive environment at all times. ".

Physical strength. recreation leader responsibilities often require "physical strength." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "most recreation workers should be physically fit." This resume example shows what recreation leaders do with physical strength on a typical day: "developed weekly lesson plans administered enrichment and recreational activities to students organized and coached youth sports instructed physical education"

Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for recreation leader responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of recreation leaders all the time, as "recreation workers need strong problem-solving skills." An excerpt from a real recreation leader resume shows how this skill is central to what a recreation leader does: "completed incident reports and resolved problems with tact and diplomacy. "

All recreation leader skills

The three companies that hire the most recreation leaders are:

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Compare different recreation leaders

Recreation leader vs. Summer camp counselor

Summer camps are programs with different themes organized for children or teenagers during the summer months. Summer camp counselors are responsible for the overall supervision of campers and the planning and implementation of the different programs to give children a memorable experience. It is their responsibility to create a fun, safe, and rewarding environment for each camper. They provide counsel, support, and monitor each camper's individual development. A good summer camp counselor is reliable, honest, and has strong leadership skills.

The annual salary of summer camp counselors is $4,423 lower than the average salary of recreation leaders.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between recreation leaders and summer camp counselors are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like cpr, customer service, and recreational facilities.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, recreation leader responsibilities require skills like "recreation programs," "youth sports," "homework assistance," and "front desk." Meanwhile a typical summer camp counselor has skills in areas such as "child care," "kids," "work ethic," and "provide emotional support." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Summer camp counselors really shine in the education industry with an average salary of $30,707. Comparatively, recreation leaders tend to make the most money in the government industry with an average salary of $28,465.The education levels that summer camp counselors earn slightly differ from recreation leaders. In particular, summer camp counselors are 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a recreation leader. Additionally, they're 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Recreation leader vs. 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.

Camp counselor positions earn lower pay than recreation leader roles. They earn a $5,700 lower salary than recreation leaders per year.A few skills overlap for recreation leaders and camp counselors. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "cpr," "recreational facilities," and "role model. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that recreation leader responsibilities requires skills like "customer service," "recreation programs," "youth sports," and "homework assistance." But a camp counselor might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "kids," "child care," "core values," and "general safety."

Camp counselors may earn a lower salary than recreation leaders, but camp counselors earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $29,249. On the other hand, recreation leaders receive higher pay in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $28,465.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Camp counselors tend to reach similar levels of education than recreation leaders. In fact, they're 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Recreation Leaders in the next 3-5 years?

Ariel Rodríguez Ph.D., CPRPAriel Rodríguez Ph.D., CPRP LinkedIn Profile

Associate Professor, Recreation Management Program Director, Springfield College

The recreation management profession prides itself in providing quality recreation services, safe spaces, and creating opportunities for memorable human interactions. It is likely that technologies that help to mitigate challenges to this will be more important and prevalent. For instance, we have seen an increase in disease and illness over the past few years, not just related to Covid-19 but also connected with service men and women returning from combat with seen and unseen disabilities. Technologies that will help individuals get back to the recreational activities they loved or try new recreational activities will continue to be prevalent in the future.

It is likely that we will also continue to see efforts to connect online technologies with recreation programming and special events. For instance, we have seen demand for export programming increase over the years. Covid-19 seems to have perpetuated this need as there is an increased need for individuals to stay in confined spaces, and gaming stigmas have dramatically decreased in recent years. With new gaming technologies, such as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles, being currently launched, it is likely they will play a role in the provision of recreation services by professionals for years to come.

Recreation leader vs. Activities director

An activities director is responsible for planning engaging events for the participants, considering individual interests and the safety of procedures and resources. Activities directors guide the activity staff on assisting the participants, ensuring that they are comfortable with joining the activities. Since most activities directors work at a healthcare facility or elderly institution, they must also monitor the health of the participants by conducting therapeutic activities and evaluate the participants' progress for every program. The activities director must be a critical-thinker, as well as have excellent communication skills to coordinate with facilities personnel for successful activity completion.

On average, activities directors earn higher salaries than recreation leaders, with a $14,942 difference per year.By looking over several recreation leaders and activities directors resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "cpr," "customer service," and "community events." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a recreation leader is likely to be skilled in "recreation programs," "recreational facilities," "role model," and "youth sports," while a typical activities director is skilled in "patients," "rehabilitation," "resident care," and "home health."

Activities directors earn the best pay in the health care industry, where they command an average salary of $41,547. Recreation leaders earn the highest pay from the government industry, with an average salary of $28,465.Most activities directors achieve a similar degree level compared to recreation leaders. For example, they're 3.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Recreation leader vs. Activity coordinator

An activity coordinator is someone who creates and plans activities, outings, and events in various settings. Typically, they oversee creating programs, staffing events, and supervising the implementation of activities. They generally report to the activity director or community manager. One of their tasks is to collaborate with directors of studies to schedule the activities. Other tasks include coordinating staff with the activities and informing them of the decisions regularly. Also, they strategize, coordinate, and encourage the members to participate in the activities.

Activity coordinators tend to earn a higher pay than recreation leaders by an average of $5,269 per year.While both recreation leaders and activity coordinators complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like cpr, customer service, and front desk, the two careers vary in some skills.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A recreation leader uses "recreation programs," "recreational facilities," "role model," and "youth sports." Activity coordinators are more likely to have duties that require skills in "patients," "memory care," "mds," and "social interaction. "activity coordinators enjoy the best pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $38,943. For comparison, recreation leaders earn the highest salary in the government industry.The average resume of activity coordinators showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to recreation leaders. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 3.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.2%.

Types of recreation leader

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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