What is a Recreation Worker?

A recreation worker designs and leads leisure activities for groups in volunteer agencies or recreation facilities, such as playgrounds, parks, camps and senior centres. They may lead activities in areas such as arts and crafts, sports, games, music, and camping. Recreation workers are employed in a variety of settings, including summer camps, recreation centres, parks, and cruise ships.

What does a Recreation Worker do?

A recreation worker designs and leads leisure activities for groups in volunteer agencies or recreation facilities, such as playgrounds, parks, camps and senior centres.

Recreation workers may have the following duties:

  • Plan and organize activities for groups or recreation centres
  • Explain the rules of the activities and instruct participants
  • Enforce safety rules to prevent injury
  • Administer first aid if needed
  • Modify activities to suit the needs of specific groups, such as seniors
  • Keep the equipment used in activities organized

The specific responsibilities of recreation workers vary greatly with their job title, their level of training, or the jurisdiction in which they work.

Are you suited to be a recreation worker?

Recreation workers have distinct personalities. They tend to be social individuals, which means they’re kind, generous, cooperative, patient, caring, helpful, empathetic, tactful, and friendly. They excel at socializing, helping others, and teaching. Some of them are also enterprising, meaning they’re adventurous, ambitious, assertive, extroverted, energetic, enthusiastic, confident, and optimistic.

Does this sound like you? Take our free career test to find out if recreation worker is one of your top career matches.

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What is the workplace of a Recreation Worker like?

Recreation workers are employed in a variety of settings, including summer camps, recreation centres, parks, and cruise ships. Many workers spend much of their time outdoors. Recreation directors and supervisors, however, typically spend most of their time in an office, planning programs and special events.

Recreation Workers are also known as:
Activities Specialist Activities Aide Recreation Specialist Activities Coordinator