Keisha Pitts

LEI 4724

Activity: Creating stress balls

Source: Internship coordinator
Equipment Needed: Flour, dried beans, clay, water, balloons, funnel

Activity Description:
1. Use flour for a soft and malleable ball. Pour all-purpose flour for baking into your
balloon for your stress ball. This creates a ball that is soft and squishy and will more or
less hold the shape you form it into.
2. Use dried beans or birdseed for a firmer ball. Try small dry beans, lentils, rice, or
birdseed to fill your balloon for the stress ball. This creates a firmer, more textured ball,
like a bean bag.
3. Try clay or play dough. Use a modeling clay product or play dough to put into your
balloon. This creates a stress ball that is very squishy and holds its shape well.
4. Observe safety precautions while filling balloons.
5. Stretch out a standard party balloon. Use your fingers to gently stretch out a latex balloon
in all directions. This will make the material of the balloon more flexible for filling.
6. Insert a funnel into the neck of the balloon. Put a funnel into the neck of the balloon to
pour filling in easier. You may be able to roll the neck of the balloon over the tip of the
funnel so it holds itself there securely.
7. Pour in the filling. Use about cup of your preferred filling material to pour into the
balloon. Hold your funnel steady and pour carefully to avoid spills.
8. Cut off the excess balloon. Carefully cut off the excess neck of the balloon above the
knot you made to close it. This will make for a smoother ball when you add another
balloon.
9. Wrap with a second balloon. Cut the neck off of another balloon, then stretch the opening
wide and fit it around your filled and tied balloon. This keeps it secure and less likely to
break or spill.

Leadership considerations:
1. For individuals with dyspraxia, their goal is improving fine motor skills. Children with
ideational dyspraxia have difficult times performing sequence of movements. While
creating stress balls with children it will give them the ability to use their hands and
follow directions. This activity helps them with develop motor skills. Certain steps in this
activity would be very beneficial. For example, step 5 of stretching out the balloon would
strengthen the childs hand muscles.
2. Although creating stress ball can use a lot of steps, I would consider cutting down some
steps or making it even easier so it would not be so difficult for them to follow.
3. If a child is allergic to latex or any of the other items, it would be best to substitute them
for something else.
4. For individuals with Osteoarthritis of the hand, they most have inflammation of the joints
in their hands. Creating stress balls would help them bend their knuckles and forming
fists with their stress balls.