This is an instructional video about how to make your own therapy putty! Therapy putty is great for stretching and strengthening the muscles in your hands and fingers and can be made at home with just a few simple ingredients. This could even be a fun activity to do with any children or grandchildren in your life!
Therapy Putty Recipe Ingredients (0:23 - 1:41)
There are many different recipes for homemade therapy putty. This one uses the following ingredients:
- 4-ounce bottle of Elmer’s school glue
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 1/4 teaspoon borax
- 1/4 cup very hot water
- 2-5 drops food color (optional)
- 1-3 drops of an essential oil (optional)
You will also need the following items:
- A medium sized bowl
- Measuring cups and a measuring spoon
- Something to stir the mixture with
- Something to heat up the water
- And an airtight container to store the putty after you’ve finished
Making the Putty (1:42 - 5:26)
- Empty entire 4-ounce bottle of glue into the bowl.
- Add cornstarch and stir thoroughly.
- (Optional) Add the food coloring and/or essential oil and mix again.
- In a separate bowl, mix very hot water and Borax until it is dissolved.
- Add it to the glue mixture & stir again until it becomes more solid.
- With the putty still in the bowl, knead it with your hands until it’s no longer sticky.
- Remove all excess water from the putty and the bowl.
- Store in an airtight container.
Now What? (5:27 - 6:03)
At this point, you might be wondering, “Now what? What is this therapy putty good for?” Watch the ASF video “Targeted Hand Exercises Using Therapy Putty” to learn ways to use therapy putty to help stretch out and strengthen the muscles in your hands and fingers on your stroke affected side.