Homemade Stress Balls with Playdough
Have you ever made a stress ball with playdough?? Simply add a tub of playdough to a balloon and voila! These stress balls are really squishy and moldable. They have a similar texture to flour stress balls, but are a little bit more firm. Stress balls help reduce anxiety and provide a focus for excess energy. Making a homemade stress ball, and even playing with it, can help increase fine motor skills and hand strength in younger kids. We’ve made a lot of stress balls in our house, and all of them are fun to play with – but this one has one benefit over the others: if it breaks, there’s no mess! No flour or rice going everywhere with this stress ball!
Check out our Playdough Stress Ball video tutorial:
*Note: Scroll down for the step-by-step photo tutorial.
How to Make a Stress Ball Orbeez Stress Ball Moon Sand Stress Ball Rice Stress Ball
Here’s what you’ll need:
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Balloon Tub of Play-Doh (4 ounce tub)
How long do these stress balls last?
Playdough stress balls should last at least a month, if not longer – it will all depend on the age of your playdough and how much the balloon is squeezed. Our balloons typically break after a few weeks, but the playdough has always still been soft. Simply take the playdough out of the broken balloon and add it to a new balloon!
Can I use homemade playdough?
Yes, using homemade playdough makes this DIY stress ball even more inexpensive! You can check out our easy microwave playdough recipe or you can make playdough with shaving cream! Have fun playing with your homemade playdough, and then make these awesome stress balls with it.
Can I make a stress ball with playdough by myself?
It’s really difficult to make a homemade playdough stress ball by yourself. We needed two hands to keep the balloon open and another two hands to add the playdough. If you need to make it by yourself, try cutting the top off a water bottle and stretch the balloon around the mouth of the bottle. You should be able to shove the playdough through the water bottle opening.
What kind of balloon do I need?
You can use a regular 12 inch party balloon (check the package for size) from the dollar store. If you use a smaller balloon you won’t be able to fit the whole tub of playdough in it.
These playdough stress balls are great for helping you relax, but they’re also so fun to play with! It’s fascinating to squish the stress ball flat and watch it rise back up into a round shape by itself.
Here’s even more DIY stress balls:
How to Make a Flour Stress Ball
Orbeez Stress Ball
Rice Stress Ball
Oobleck Stress Ball
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
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