How to Make Stress Balls

Why do we use stress balls in therapy? Are they just a fidget fad?
Well, stress balls can be a great aid for both the young and the old!

Stress balls can be a helpful instrument in speech, occupational, and physical therapy.
Some fun uses for stress balls:
-They provide tactile stimulation, which helps a child calm down or focus on the feeling of the stress ball in their hand rather than an unpleasant sensation or emotion.
-They can be incorporated into coordination practice for PT. Use them to play catch or pick up different stress balls to work on bilateral coordination.
-Different resistances and materials in the stress balls can help with hand strength
-They can be used as a fidget to prevent behaviors such as nail biting, hair pulling, or skin picking.

These are just some of the uses for stress balls, I'm sure you can think of many more! Stress balls are a great sensory tool to keep in your tool box!

Stress Ball DIY

Ingredients:

Version 1: Oobleck Stress Ball

-cornstarch

-water

-balloon

-funnel

Directions:

1. Mix the cornstarch and water (2:1 ratio) in a bowl until you make oobleck.

2. Stretch the balloon over the spout of your funnel.

3. Pour your mixture into your balloon

4. Tie off the balloon. Done!

Version 2: Cloud Dough Stress Ball

Ingredients:

-cloud dough (recipe here)

-balloon

-ziploc bag

-funnel

Directions:

1. Place the cloud dough into a ziploc bag and snip off the corner.

2. Stretch the balloon over the funnel and squeeze the cloud dough inside. You can use a chopstick to help push in the dough.

3. Remove the balloon from the funnel. Roll the remainder of the cloud dough into small balls. Stretch the balloon with your hands, and put the dough inside. If you want, this may be easier. You can skip the step with the ziploc bag and funnel.

4. Tie of your balloon. Done!