Life is pretty stressful some days, whether you are five or thirty-five. Sometimes you just need a bit of help to concentrate or relax. These little cuties are good for children who find it hard to sit still and just want to fiddle with something.

I wanted to make some stress toys for stressful days and when I saw these cute heart shaped balloons from Tiger I thought they would be perfect. Normal shaped balloons work just as well.

I have to say they aren’t very easy to fill. A larger balloon would be easier. We stretched the balloon over a bottle and then filled the balloons. It helps if you blow the balloon up a little first and then let the air out.

We used two different fillings for the stress toys. Some were made with play dough inside. These were really soft and squidgy. The others we put rice in. You could also use lentils. These were a bit crunchier. It’s probably worth trying both and seeing which you prefer. The play dough was slightly harder to put in to the balloon.

Once you have filled the stress toys, they are ready to play with. Of course, you will need to remind the children not to put them in their mouths.

They turned out really cute. Perfect for putting in your pocket. They would be perfect for if you were worrying about the first day of school. You could read the book The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn.

I like the fact you can make a rainbow of colours. Now I just need to decide who is the most stressed and needs one first.
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