Crafts & activities

Make your own funny face stress balls

We all need a little help de-stressing every now and then. Make your own stress balls with this fun craft inspired by Jion Sheibani's book The Worries. They're the perfect size to pop in your pencil case or school bag!

Suzie Attaway
A photo of three funny face stress balls inspired by The Worries by Jion Sheibani; they are next to a copy of the book on a light purple background
© Suzie Attaway

You will need:

A photo of all the things you will need to make a stress ball, including balloons, a bowl of plain flour and salt, warm water, oil, marker pens, wool, glue and a pair of scissors; they sit on a wooden table
© Suzie Attaway

·   Balloons

·   Plain flour

·   Salt

·   Warm water

·   Oil

·   Marker pens

·   Wool

·   Glue

·   A pair of scissors

How to make your own stress ball:

1. To make the playdough that will go in the balloon, mix 8 tbsp flour and 2 tbsp salt in a large bowl. Next, mix 60ml warm water with 1 tbsp oil in a jug, and pour into the flour and salt. Mix together well.

A photo of a glass bowl with flour, salt, warm water and oil ready to be mixed with a spoon
© Suzie Attaway

2. Knead the dough for a few minutes to form a smooth, pliable dough.

A photo of some homemade dough being kneaded by someone's fingers
© Suzie Attaway

3. Roll the playdough into thin sausage shapes. Take a balloon and feed the playdough inside. Continue filling the balloon until it's full, then tie a knot at the neck. Repeat to make more stress balls.

A photo of a balloon having the homemade dough fed into it
© Suzie Attaway

4. Add some hair by cutting and sticking some coloured wool to the top of the stress balls with glue.

A photo of a balloon filled with homemade dough with some wool glued to the top to resemble hair
© Suzie Attaway

5. Finally, draw faces on the stress balls with marker pens. We were inspired by the characters from The Worries by Jion Sheibani!

A photo of an orange balloon filled with dough having a funny face drawn on it
© Suzie Attaway
A photo of the final result, three funny face stress balls, one green, one yellow and one orange next to the book The Worries by Jion Sheibani
© Suzie Attaway

Big thanks to Suzie Attaway for putting together this crafting activity! For more fun crafts and styling, check out Suzie's Instagram @craftpropstylist

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