Want some help getting over the massive stress that life can sometimes bring? Learning to make stress balls can hold you in good stead over the years. You can make your own with just a few common household items. Here’s how so that you can stay calm throughout the day.

How to Make Stress Balls: Step-by-Step Guide

Learning how to make items to relieve stress levels, like stress balls, is an important skill to have. Here’s how to make them out of balloon and other items.

1. How to Make Stress Balls with Flour/Sand/Rice

Items needed: To make stress balls, you will need 4 latex balloons (preferably those that are quite stretchy), at least ¼ cup of flour, sand or rice (your choice), a ¼ cup measuring cup, a funnel, scissors, a pencil, and a Sharpie marker.

Steps:

• Start by blowing up the latex balloon, then allow it to deflate.
• Attach it firmly to the funnel, then using the measuring cup, begin feeding the flour, sand or rice into the balloon.
• As you do this, the filler might clog – if it does, gently insert the pencil into the funnel to clear it. Fill the balloon to the neck, then stop filling and remove the balloon from the funnel. Be careful not to spill it!
• Tie the balloon to keep the filler inside.
• Then take another latex balloon and cut the end of it off with the scissors, just to the point where it can be easily stretched over the first balloon. Do this again with a third balloon, and with a fourth if you feel it necessary for more security.

Tips: You can use beans if you prefer, or even bird seed. If you want to make the stress ball pretty, you can cut designs into the third and fourth balloon – just make sure the balloons are each different colors. Use the Sharpie marker to draw on the stress ball. The following video is a clear tutorial and also shows cute designs to paint on your stress ball:

2. How to Make Stress Balls with Playdough

Items needed: Playdough, wooden rolling pin, balloons, plastic tube,

Steps: Blow up the balloons, then let the air out so they deflate. Roll the playdough out with wooden rolling pin until it is soft and pliable. Then roll the playdough up into a tube, so that it is easier to fit into the balloon. Open up the balloon as best you can and work the playdough into it. It helps to have more than one person doing this; one holds the balloon while the other pushes the playdough into it.

Once this is done, close up the balloon and you’re done!

Tips: Since playdough isn’t messy, you probably don’t need to use more than one balloon, unless you want to decorate the stress ball with cut-out shapes. You can also use a Sharpie to write on the balloon. If you happen to notice a little bit of air trapped in the ball, simply untie the top and push it out. Soon you will have no air in there at all. Finally, remember that playdough might dry out quickly, so for a stress ball that lasts longer, go with flour, sand or other ingredients to make it.

Now you know how to make stress balls – an essential part of keeping your cool in any situation!