How To Become An Activities Aide: What It Is and Career Path

What is an activities aide and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Your job will be to assist the recreational activities leader or activities chairman and help participants use equipment and supplies. You may be in charge of arts and crafts, outdoor activities, music, sports, or theater.

As an activities assistant, you will probably prepare equipment and ensure the safety of participants. You will need certification to work in certain activities. These may include swimming or water sports. Activities Aid needs to be personable, able to communicate, energetic, and happy. You should have the ability to motivate others to participate.

Many activity aids are volunteers, but if you work in public service, nursing, or any other field that helps people, you can expect to make around $25,000 per year. The job is very rewarding!

ScoreActivities AideUS Average

Salary

2.2

Avg. Salary $27,892

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.1

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.67%

Asian 5.35%

Black or African American 10.95%

Hispanic or Latino 15.71%

Unknown 5.57%

White 61.75%

Gender

female 82.83%

male 17.17%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

9.1

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.9

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.5

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an activities aide

Explore activities aide education requirements

Most common activities aide degrees

Bachelor's

32.9 %

High School Diploma

31.3 %

Associate

18.2 %

Start to develop specific activities aide skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	17.61%
Rehabilitation	14.18%
PET	12.09%
Nursing Home	10.28%
Compassion	6.57%

Complete relevant activities aide training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New activities aides learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an activities aide based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real activities aide resumes.

Gain additional activities aide certifications

Activities aide certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific activities aide certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for activities aides include Advanced First Aid & CPR and Activity Director Certified (ADC).

More About Certifications

Research activities aide duties and 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.

Prepare your activities aide resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your activities aide resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an activities aide resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Activities Aide Resume templates

Build a professional Activities Aide resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Activities Aide resume.

Apply for activities aide jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an activities aide job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do activities aides rate their job?

4/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Activities Aide reviews

4.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019

Pros

learning about the residents

Cons

trying to engage people who do not want to be bothered

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019