DIY Stress Balls For Kids
Help kids manage stress and have fun with DIY Stress Balls for Kids!
This simple, hands-on activity teaches children how to create their own calming tool, promoting emotional regulation and fine motor skills while offering a playful outlet for energy and creativity.
Create soothing DIY stress balls with everyday materials like flour, rice, water beads, and balloons!
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What Does Stress Ball Do
Stress balls help kids manage anxiety, release tension, and improve focus by providing a calming sensory outlet.
Squeezing a stress ball enhances fine motor skills, strengthens hand muscles, and encourages mindfulness.
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They can also aid in emotional regulation, offering a simple, tactile way for children to cope with overwhelming feelings.
How To Use a Stress Ball with Kids
Using a stress ball with kids is simple and engaging:
Squeeze for Calm: Encourage them to squeeze and release the stress ball when feeling anxious or overwhelmed to release tension.
Focus Breaks: Use the stress ball during homework or other tasks to improve focus and manage fidgeting.
Fine Motor Skills Practice: Incorporate squeezing, rolling, or pinching exercises to strengthen hand muscles and improve coordination.
Emotional Regulation: Pair stress ball use with deep breathing exercises to teach calming techniques.
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Games and Play: Turn it into a playful activity by tossing, catching, or even creating imaginative games.
Stress balls provide a fun and effective tool for emotional and physical development.
Materials for Stress Ball
Gather these simple materials to create your own stress ball and enjoy a fun, calming activity.
- Funnel
- Flour
- Rice
- Water Beads
- Balloons
How To Make Stress Ball with Balloon
First, inflate your balloon and let the air out.
Next, place the balloon at the bottom of your funnel and fill it with your chosen material (rice, flour, or water beads) until it’s full.
Tie the balloon and trim the excess as close to the knot as possible.
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Notes: You can add a second balloon on top for extra security, but in my experience, one balloon works just fine, even with a lot of squeezing.
Feel free to pack the material tightly or leave some extra space, depending on your preference for these stress balls for kids.
Tips for Calming Your Child
Discover effective strategies to help soothe and calm your child during challenging moments.
- The One Simple Trick to Instantly Self Calm a Child
- Calming Sensory Bottle
- 10 Ways to Calm
- 3 Simple Ways to Calm Down a Toddler Tantrum
- How To Calm Down Your Child’s Big Feelings
- Keep Calm and Do Yoga
More Sensory Activity Ideas
Sensory play is a powerful way for children to learn, develop and engage with their surroundings, and it’s also a whole lot of fun!
Take your child on a sensory adventure that sparks imagination, creativity and learning.
- Sensory Play for Toddlers and Preschoolers: Easy Projects to Develop Fine Motor Skills, Hand-Eye Coordination, and Early Measurement Concepts
- The Ultimate Sensory Play Recipe Book: Learning Through Play
- Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids: 60 Easy Creative Play Projects That Boost Brain Development, Calm Anxiety and Build Fine Motor Skills
- Play to Progress: Lead Your Child to Success Using the Power of Sensory Play
- Sensory Adventures: A Guide to Increasing Literacy Through Sensory Play
- Playful Wonders: 50 Fun-Filled Sensory Play Activities
- The Book of Nature Connection: 70 Sensory Activities for All Ages
- 52 Weeks of Sensory Play
These ideas are designed to stimulate a child’s senses while encouraging exploration, experimentation and play.