DIY Stress Relief Toys

By Anna Hazard

View the Rest of the Series

Part 2 : Pre-Made

Introduction

Whether it's at school, at the office, or during any of the other myriad times when stress or anxiety may rear it's ugly head, the use of stress relief toys has become quite popular. Caregiving with its many responsibilities is a well known source of much worry and thus tension relieving activities and objects are often prescribed. Patients and loved ones who are sick, disabled, or otherwise frail enough to require specific caregiving can also be under a great deal of stress.
 
The following stress relief toys & objects would be good for use with with caregivers or for those seniors who tend to fidget with their hands or would otherwise benefit from tactile or other sensory stimulation. Many DIY versions would also make good craft activities for seniors, children, or the whole family depending upon the exact level of hand dexterity & technique required.
 
While many tutorials are only available in only one style or another, some tutorials include video demonstrations as well as written instructions.

Do It Yourself

Balloon Balls

• These types of stress relief toys are the most popular and numerous when it comes to the do-it-yourself varieties. They all use balloons or similar objects for their outer covering, can be customized to different styles & themes, and use a wide range of inexpensive materials for their innards that can provide different sensory experiences. Tactile supplies include rice, flour, sand, beans, shaving cream, borax, starch, or glue depending upon the style of stress reliever.
• Basic Ball [1, 2, 3] | Slime Balls |[1, 2, 3, 4]  | Jelly Orb Ball [1, 2] | Light-Up | Unicorn Ball
  

Slime, Goo, Fluff, Putty, Sand, Dough

• All of these are form-free ways to knead your stress away. Some of these can become the inner components of the balloon style of stress relievers that can be carried around more easily than their free-form varieties. (A small balloon can easily be slipped in the pocket, a handful of slime not so much).
• Different variations and consistencies use varying ingredients including borax, glue, contact lens solution, corn starch, and even Metamucil as a base. Some varieties are even edible (but be sure to doublecheck before digging in!)
• Slime & Goo [1, 2, 3] | Edible Ooze [1, 2, 3] | Fluff [1, 2] | Putty [1, 2] | Kinectic Sand [1, 2, 3] | Dough [1, 2, 3]
  

Squishies

• These are the types of stress relief toys more commonly being found sold in stores. They are more durable than the balloon and kneadable free-form versions, but conversely tend to be more complicated in their creation. Most types use silicone, sponge, and foam as their bases. Notethat  most of these tutorials take the form of videos instead of written guides.
• Silicone [1, 2 ] | Sponge [1, 2, 3] | Foam [1, 2] | Slime
  

Fidget Spinner

• These particular stress relief toys have become all the rage across schools, offices, and wherever stress may rear its head or where fidgeting fingers may need to be calmed. They make as both a welcome & calming distraction for both a frazzled caregiver or a patient who needs a task to keep their hands busy. The style of fidget spinners ranges from the inexpensive & easy-to-do with common household supplies to more polished variations that are more time & work intensive & which might require more specialized tools such as skateboard bearings, bike chains, 3D printers, and saws.
• Basic [1, 2, 3] | Fancy [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] | Professional [1, 2]
  

Marble & Bead Fidget Toys

• They're not exactly the popular Boinks mesh & marble fidget toys but these handmade crafts are suitable when a calming distraction is needed on-the-go or when fidgeting fingers need further tactile stimulation. All are variations that use marbles, beads and other round objects as well as cloth, mesh, string, and other materials to contain & create a proper environment (often taking the form of mazes) for the objects to run through.
• Bracelets [1, 2, 3, 4] | Cloth Mazes [1, 2, 3] | Sensory Mat [1, 2, 3]
  

Sensory Bottles

• These handmade bottle-based crafts have similar mesmerizing & calming effects that have made lava lamps & other liquid motion toys popular over the years. While they are recommended sensory play that can stimulate development within babies & children, their soothing effect as a stress reliever is helpful for all ages. Most basic bottles use water or another liquid such as baby oil or glycerin as a base with colorful ingredients to provide the sensory effect, but many different varieties of styles are available including ones that incorporate further hand-eye coordination games, ones based on popular themes, and pocket-sized ones meant to more mobile.
  
• Basic [1, 2, 3, 4] | Games [1, 2] | Themed [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] | Keychains [1, 2]
  

Aromatherapy Bath Aids

• Aromatherapy is a well known aid for stress relief that can come in handy for caregivers and patients alike. These do-it-yourself tutorials focus on handmade bath & shower aids that can sooth and relax while you before your daily cleansing. Most recipes using a variation of baking soda, essential oils, and citric acid for their bases with different additional materials such as corn starch, almond oil, epsom salt or dried lavendar depending upon the style of bath aid.
• Shower Tablet [1, 2, 3] | Bath Bomb [1, 2, 3] | Bath Fizzies