Worry Pets
Soothe away your stress with a Worry Pet, designed and created by you! A Worry Pet is a therapeutic toy that assists in relieving stress and anxiety. Learn how to make a Worry Pet using felt sheets small enough to fit inside a pocket, purse, or backpack. When you feel anxious, hold your Worry Pet in your hand for comfort.
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Materials:
- Felt Sheets
- Sharpie Marker
- Scissors
- Hot or Craft Glue
- Filler Materials (such as dried beans or polyfill)
- Essential Oils
- Googly Eyes
Step 1: Choose your favorite colors of felt. Sketch an outline for your Worry Pet onto one piece of felt using a marker.
Step 2: Cut out the sketched shape with ¼ inch of space around the drawn line.
Step 3: Cut out a duplicate shape using the first as a guide. Trim the shapes together to accentuate the form.
Step 4: Line the hot glue around the shape’s edges, leaving one side without glue. Place the second shape on top of the first. Gently press the two sides together to seal.
Step 5: Once the glue is dry, begin adding your filler material. Continue to glue the edges together as the filler rises to the top to keep it inside. Optional: Add a few drops of essential oil inside before gluing the last edges together.
Step 6: Check the edges for any holes and patch them up with hot glue.
Step 7: Cut out smaller felt shapes and begin decorating your Worry Pet with features such as eyes, mouth, clothing, shoes, ears, etc.
Ideas to take your Worry Pet to the next level:
- Do you find comfort in a texture other than soft, warm, and light? Do you prefer smooth, cold, and heavy? Use a small stone and add paint and googly eyes to create a heavier Worry Pet. Do you like a rough-textured object that has sentimental value? Use your favorite shell from your family trip to the shore to create a marine-themed Worry Pet!
Learning and Discussion Questions:
1. Now that we have created a Worry Pet, let’s bring them to life! Who is your Worry Pet? Do they have a name? How would you describe their personality? Write a short journal entry describing your Worry Pet’s unique personality.
2. Stress can affect us in so many ways. Watch this quick video to learn more about stress and how to cope.
Thank you to our sponsor, PNC Arts Alive!, for helping to make this video possible!