Creating the Complete Player - Combining Neuroscience, Physical Fitness and Character Traits through Baseball!

In a time when involvement with sports is limited and the need for physical fitness and well-being are at an all-time high, the League of Dreams has partnered with The Children’s Guild Alliance to produce a series of videos that help get your children in shape from head to heart! Each video shares a brain fact, a warm-up routine, baseball skills for hitting, fielding and pitching, and character traits. All baseball skills can be completed at home with basic equipment.

This module of the 3-part video series covers topics such as Warming up, Throwing and Hitting.

Research tells us that play benefits the body, the heart, and the brain! Some of the benefits include:

• Relieves stress
• Improves brain function
• Stimulates the mind and
  boosts creativity
• Improves relationships and
  connections with others
• Develops and improves social skills
• Teaches cooperation with others
• Heals emotional wounds
• Help Guide, October 2020

In today’s world where there is so much stress and anxiety, play can reduce toxic stress and enhance brain functioning. Play has many benefits on brain function including:

• Enhances brain structures and function
• Promotes development of executive function skills
• Supports development of self-regulation skills
• Fosters pro-social skills
• Enhances cognitive and language skills
• Facilitates parent engagement
• Promotes safe, stable and nurturing relationships
• Improves life course trajectory!

These videos are for all players, from the novice to the pro and include instruction from professional athletes. As you engage in the activities, you will gain an understanding of how the brain, body and heart work together to help kids hit a home run in the game of life.