My kiddos both love these easy stress balls for ADHD! Okay, let’s be real, I enjoy squeezing them too. As a busy working, homeschooling mom in an ADHD affected household, I can use all the stress relief I can get. I also love that these can be a super fast and easy science experiment. If the balloons rip, these aren’t bad to clean up.
Why are fidget toys suddenly all the rage?
When my husband was a child with ADHD, it wasn’t recognized. He sadly received lots of harsh correction for the way his brain works. Now that ADHD and other neurodiverse diagnosis are much more widely recognized, sensory tools to help kiddos succeed in school are popping up everywhere. As a bonus, they are fun for everyone to play with.
Here is an article that explains how fidget toys help the ADHD brain focus. Watching my 6 year old constantly moving when she is reading aloud to me make it very apparent. She’s focused, and reading well, but is wiggling all over the place. For her sake, I am so thankful that there is more awareness. The expectation for some children to sit quietly with folded hands paying attention to instruction is unrealistic. It is so much better to set them up with tools and realistic expectations that align with how their brains work.
Our current favorite fidgets for purchase
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In case even a super simple DIY project is overwhelming, or you want more, here are a few of our current favorite fidgets. We love this bracelet because they are great for on the go, and come in a multipack to keep one in each activity bag/car. It’s also great because it’s pretty discreet and quiet. When slight noise or movement isn’t a concern for distraction, both my girls love this spinner/pop-it combination. For something else to squeeze, this pop bubble ball is great. My husband even enjoys this “grown up” version of fidgeting with these rings. We haven’t branched out to find rings for the girls because they won’t work with all of their gymnastics.
Making things can count for school
Especially when you are homeschooling, all sorts of activities can be part of learning. Cooking and baking is great for math and science, plus reading recipes. Check out this play dough recipe with essential oils. Making slime is great chemistry.
These stress balls are a great way to discuss properties such as porous vs non-porous, absorption, evaporation, etc. Having the water beads sealed inside the balloon can show how exposure to air affects things vs. being sealed. And using the method of using air pressure from inside a water bottle to squeeze and stretch the balloon. These are examples of things reverenced in my post about why homeschool works for us.
How to make these easy stress balls
All you need to make these stress balls are water beads, balloons, and water. I found that using a disposable plastic water bottle with some extra air made it easy to stretch the balloon open to be able to get enough water in. A funnel was helpful to get the beads in. I put approximately a TBS of water beads in the balloon, and then added about a cup of water using a plastic water bottle. Tie off the balloon, wait until the next day to allow the beads to expand, and enjoy the mesmerizing feeling of squishing the expanded beads around.
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The content in this post is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is merely opinion based on personal research and experience.