From swim practices to musical rehearsals the benefits of extra-curricular activities are very beneficial and far reaching for children. Whether your child is seeking to expand on their talents or just looking for some fun playing different sports. The Team Rhino multi-sports program is an excellent opportunity for any child to learn or to continue to develop their sporting abilities and learn to work as part of a team towards a common goal. The Team Rhino multi-sports program has outlined some of the challenges that today’s children have to face on a daily basis.

In the age of computer technology, activities outside of the home have become a lost world. Parents seemed to have forgotten how extremely important outside play is towards the development of all children. Technology has blended in with our daily activities to become a way of life and the children of today certainly take it for granted. It’s hard for children nowadays to imagine a world that existed without all the gadgets, electronics and seamless operations computer technology provides us with. Undoubtedly technology has improved our quality of life, but as with anything else. There are always trade-offs! One of the trade-offs is the negative effects technology is that children are more content to playing on their electronics than playing in a sports field.

Today’s generation of children spend far more time indoors sitting on some form of electronic based device than any other generation before them. Given this fact, it should be no surprise to anyone that many countries around the world are currently fighting the growing issue of child obesity. And what better way is there to get children off of the couch and away from these electronic based devices and on their way to better health than enrolling children into an organized sports program. The Team Rhino multi-sports program encourages children to participate in many different forms of vigorous physical activities that they are sorely missing in their present lifestyle, due to the higher rates of obesity that are being attributed to technology.

Children today no longer spend their afternoons and weekends roaming around their communities and playing in the backyard. Children do not nearly spend as much time presently playing outside as much as the previous generations did before them. Children today are spending far more time being entertained by television, video games, internet and other electronic devices. Due to the lack of mobility by today’s population, childhood obesity has nearly tripled in children and quadrupled in adolescents since 1975 according to the World Health Organization and the Childhood Obesity Foundation.

The World Health Organization and the Childhood Obesity Foundation report goes on to state that in 2019 there is an estimated 38.2 million children under the age of 5, and 340 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 are overweight or obese worldwide.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents has risen dramatically from just 4% in 1975 to just over 18% in 2019. The rise has occurred similarly among both boys and girls: 18% of girls and 19% of boys were overweight.

Overweight and obesity are linked to more deaths worldwide than underweight. Globally there are more people who are obese than underweight – this occurs in every region except parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Obesity in children was once considered a high-income country problem, overweight and obesity have been on the rise in low and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings for decades. Children in low and middle income countries are more vulnerable to in adequate nutrition. At the same time they are being exposed to food that is high in sugar, salt, carbohydrates, protein and fats.

These foods tend to be lower in cost, but they are also lower in nutrient quality and nutritional values.

In conjunction with kid’s lower levels of physical activity, it explains the sharp dramatic increase in childhood obesity that has become a global pandemic over the past few decades.

It poses so many health problems and there are so many associated risks with being overweight or obese such as;

• Breathing Difficulties
• Increased Risk of Fractures
• Hypertension
• Early Markers of Cardiovascular Disease
• Insulin Resistance and Psychological Effects

As they grow older they run the risk of Getting: 

A further study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology by Queen Mary University of London and the University of Oxford. State that childhood obesity increases the risk of developing Multiple sclerosis ( MS ).

Obese children are more likely to get multiple sclerosis and that 1 in 10 cases of the crippling condition are linked to bulging waistlines and could increase if childhood obesity levels continues to rise.

There can be no doubt that children inherit unhealthy and negative life styles from their home environments. Unfortunately in today’s society it is far cheaper to eat unhealthy foods than it is to go to the grocery store and buy your dinner to make. I am sure like Canada this problem is up and coming in the your own home and it appears to have no intentions of slowing down.

Teaching children about eating healthy and encouraging their family to do the same is a win, win for everyone. Team Rhino understands that plenty of people have financial challenges and cannot always supply that perfect healthy meal every day even if they wanted too. Even as the founder of Team Rhino our household is guilty of this same scenario. We do not always feed our children the ideal meals that we want to give. Sometimes a hamburger and fries for supper is just a lot easier and quicker. But being that we keep our children so physically active and health conscious and that these meals are far and few between. Luckily the consequences are minimal for our children. But because of scenarios like this. That is why Team Rhino supplies the children with healthy snacks/fruits and drinks during the campaigns.

Team Rhino believes that participating in the Team Rhino multi-sports program every day helps to build and maintain a child’s metabolism which in turn helps combat any high in calories food they might eat when at home.

In days of yesteryears, children lived a more carefree life than those growing up in today’s automated world. Today’s constant access to news feeds showcases a plethora of the bad and unfortunate events happening across the globe and as a result, it seems parental fear is heightened. Many parents are fearful due to these events and are no longer secure in allowing their children to play in their neighborhoods and they keep a much more stringent watch on what their children comings and goings.

Unfortunately, this leads back to the parents allowing their children to use digital gadgets to keep them entertained while being prevented from going outside to explore their communities. It is sad today’s children are living in a world full of fear and trepidation. Parents are afraid of allowing their children to escape to the adventures of the outdoors without supervision and this is an indirect cause of technology.

One of the many benefits of the Team Rhino multi-sports program is that it offers answers to many parents’ issues about the safety and supervision of their children after school. It allows parents to know exactly where their children are and what they are doing.

The National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center stated that children are less likely to become a victim of childhood bullying and violence when they are enrolled in after school activities between the hours of 3:00 pm and 4:30 pm. They also noted that most juvenile crimes, drug and sexual experimentation and other risky behaviors also occur between these same hours after school.

Their research also found that females, who have never been enrolled in some form of after school program had an increased chance of becoming pregnant during their teen years by 37%. It was also found that there was a 49% chance that any children ( male or female ) who were not involved in some form of after school program were more likely to experiment with drugs. If children do not have an engaging activity to participate in they usually fall in with bad company. Research has proven that peer pressure is the leading cause for alcoholism and substance abuse among youth.

There are other direct effects of technology on children today. Many children even when given the opportunity to get outdoors and play often prefer the seclusion of playing on the computer, tablet, phone or gaming console. There is no room for doubt that many video games are addicting. These video gaming companies make hundreds of millions of dollars every year selling their games to children, teens and even adults without concern for the long term consequences of their health because they ( the players ) have seemingly become addicted to their technology.

It is no secret nor can it be argued that sports do offer children plenty of health and physical benefits that only it can do. However, what many people do not often realize is the large amount of social, emotional and physical benefits that organized team sports can have on children.

The Team Rhino multi-sports program promotes teamwork within our program. Teamwork is increasingly more important in our home lives as well as at work. Team sports require children to work together to achieve a common goal and remove the focus from the individual to the team. Children who play sports quickly learn that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. They learn to be a good sport in both situations. It also helps them learn to deal with disappointment and how to move on after a loss.

Children who attend the Team Rhino multi-sports program will develop better communication skills. They also learn how to think on their feet. Besides improving school attendance and academic performance, the programs reinforce school learning with practical application.

The children acquire social awareness by working as a team and they also learn how to become responsible citizens by learning how to follow rules. They shed shyness or inferiority complex and learn to adjust well in groups.

We as humans are a very social creature on a whole and we have a desire to want to belong to some form of social group(s). Through play children take the first steps in learning how to interact properly in a social group. They learn different things like cooperation, victory, defeat, competition and how to have friendly relations with everyone involved. By doing this they learn how to respect the rights of others which is of great importance in life.

There are many different activities that can provide an outlet for creativity for children. The obvious choices are arts and crafts, music, performing arts. But other activities like sports can teach problem-solving skills. The best activities for children are those that encourage their natural curiosity, interests and to have fun.

The Team Rhino multi-sports program discourages children from watching too much television and from using too much computer based entertainment. These previously mentioned habits have negative influence on children and their mental development. It contributes to attention deficit, hyperactivity, rebelliousness and other undesirable personality traits.

The Team Rhino multi-sports program helps children release their excess energy which in turn contributes to a better night’s sleep.  When the extra energy in children isn’t utilized in the form of play or if it is suppressed for some reason and remains stored in their body and they become uneasy, restless, angry and quarrelling.

Not only does the Team Rhino multi-sports program healthy lifestyle living by dealing with the many issues regarding weight control. But we try and find methods for dealing with childhood stress and to the reduction of childhood depression. In an increasingly complex and pressure-oriented world the more we are able to find positive ways to deal with childhood stress and depression, the better off everyone is.

The Team Rhino multi-sports program also helps improve kid’s school attendance and their academic performance in the classroom. In today’s world children afternoons are filled with classroom studies, trips and other organized activities and they don’t have time to just play and be children. Research has confirmed that children today have far less free time and participate in more structured activities than children in the past.      Undoubtedly, children are being burdened with a schedule that places too many demands on their time and does not allow for them to just play.

Statistics show that children who are involved in sports in the lower grades will continue to follow that same path into their high school years. Statistics also show that children that play sports throughout their entire school years are more likely to find academic success and to graduate from school with better grades. Research and the education system are increasingly pointing to the academic benefits that regular sports activities for children.

Howell Wechsler, director of the Division of Adolescent and School Health for the Centers for Disease Control reviewed 50 in-depth studies that examined the effect of physical activity on academic performance. He discovered that over half of the studies showed positive associations and virtually none of the research studies demonstrated that there was any negative impact on children who participated in regular sports activity. Multiple studies have demonstrated that even relatively short spans of after school sports activities helped children increase the duration and intensity of their concentration.

Another study by James Pivarnik at the American College of Sports Medicine discovered that middle school students who performed best on fitness tests by gauging their aerobic capacity, strength, endurance and body composition, also performed better academically.

Amazingly the study showed that the fittest children scored nearly 30% higher on standardized tests than the least fit group. Moreover, the fit students received grades in their core subjects that were 13% to 20% higher than their least fit classmates.

For some students sports can provide motivation for improved academic performance. Tom Welter the executive director of the Oregon School Activities Association concedes that not all athletes are natural students. However, the student understands that there are certain grade requirements that need to be maintained for them to stay eligible to play the sport that they love. This motivates the student to work on overcoming their obstacles in the classroom, helping them establish strong work ethics and encourages them to ask for help when needed. This is beneficial and helps them in an academic setting.

The Team Rhino multi-sports program also builds children self-esteem. By participating in the program children develop athleticism and by becoming better athletes they become more skilled. As they become more skilled they receive recognition and appreciation that in turn boost their self-esteem. This sense of achievement acts as a powerful motivator for excellence.

Research has found that children that play sports, especially girls, are more likely to have a positive body image and higher self-esteem. When children learn new skills and engage in social activities they become more self-confident. Learning a social skill like cooperation, negotiation, and conflict resolutions in a fun environment helps them interact appropriately with others. A skill valuable in all aspects of life from their home to their eventual workplace. Sports help children to develop discipline. They learn to set goals and then work to achieve those goals. They learn that by working hard they can accomplish the things that they want to in their lives.

Children involved in sports are far less likely to try alcohol, drugs or smoking because they don’t need to feel like they need to ” fit in “. They realize and learn about the negative impact that these destructive activities can have upon their bodies, their health and their athletic performances. 

Children who participate in sports and outdoor activities get great exercise and learn lifelong habits of keeping mentally and physically fit. Combined with other life skills like learning how to eat right will ensure that they learn the basics of living a healthy lifestyle.

One of the most prominent things technology does is nurture a philosophy within society for instant gratification. Technology enables things today to happen rapidly and as a result adults and children alike are growing up in today’s world wanting and expecting immediate fulfillment and results.

The concepts of people living under the old adages of – patience is a virtue, and of – good things come to those who wait, are rapidly deteriorating as the younger generations don’t have to wait for things they desire.

If children want to hear a song they can hop online and download it. No longer do children have to patiently wait for Saturday morning to watch their favorite TV shows because there are a host of channels offering children’s programming 24/7 or online to watch from.

Cell phones encourage text messaging and other features which allow instant access to virtually anything and anyone.  By participating in the Team Rhino multi-sports program it teaches children how to juggle school, homework, family life, and their after-school activities as well and learn the importance of priorities and planning. The Team Rhino multi-sports program teaches and emphasizes the importance of the use of time.

Although the Team Rhino multi-sports program is a recreational program, discipline is the cornerstone of our program. We set out and lay down clear rules for the children to understand and follow. We work on correcting any aberrant behavior. As many children misbehave because they are seeking and craving for attention. Here at Team Rhino we believe that by being firm and yet sympathetic to the needs of the child. The children are influenced to follow the rules that have been set out before them. They learn the value of family ties as well as how to develop a positive relationship with elders.

The Team Rhino multi-sports program also teaches children important life skills, preparing children to become responsible, well balanced adults. Many activities continue into adulthood providing lifelong enjoyment by encouraging children to put down the video games and get involved in organized sports.