Have fun making a super kawaii paper squishy! These DIY squishies are soooo cute and really easy to make. And you only need a few simple craft supplies and one of our FREE paper squishy templates!
Use our printables to make cute food themed paper squishies, like an avocado, cupcake, or pizza, or draw your own paper squishy. These homemade fidget toys are soft, squishy, and totally addictive. Let’s get started to make your own!
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How to Make a Paper Squishy
Materials:
- Free Printable Paper Squishy Template (find more links below!)
- Printer paper
- Alcohol markers
- Packing tape
- Polyester fiber fill
Equipment:
Watch the step-by-step video tutorial:
Instructions:
Step 1: Find what you need
- Gather your supplies and materials.
Step 2: Print and colour the squishy template
- Print one of our free printable paper squishy templates!Find the link for the cupcake in the materials list above, or keep reading to find the other characters.
- Use alcohol markers (or another coloring tool) to colour the first page of the squishy template.
- Cut out the food shape close to the black line, so no white shows around the edge.
- Colour the second page (the back of the squishy) and cut it out.
Step 3: Add the first lengths of tape
- Cut a piece of packing tape that’s at least 4 inches longer than your squishy is wide.Place the tape onto the paper so it’s overlapping both the top and the sides.
- Press the tape down onto the paper to make sure it’s smooth and completely adhered to the paper. You can also use a ruler or scraper tool to do this.
- Place a second piece of tape below the first, as close as you can get without overlapping.Again, smooth the tape down.
- Repeat, adding tape until the next piece would overlap the bottom of the paper.Stop at this point, making sure the bottom of the paper is tape-free.
Step 4: Make cuts in the tape
- Lift the template up, carefully pulling the tape away from your working surface.
- Cut off some of the excess tape, following the shape of the squishy and leaving about an inch along each side.
- Cut slits in the tape wherever there’s a rounded edge, making sections between 1/2 to 1 inch in size.This will make it easier to connect the two sides.
Step 5: Attach the back side of the squishy
- Flip the template upside down so that the sticky side of the tape is facing up.
- Set the back of the squishy on top of the front, with the right side up (both white sides in the middle).Be careful placing it, so the edges align neatly and the paper doesn’t get stuck on the tape.
- Hold the back in place as you fold the tape onto it, connecting the two pieces of paper.Continue all the way around, making sure the bottom part still has no tape on it.
- Now cover the back with tape. This time cut the pieces shorter so they just cover the plain paper. Try not to overlap much with the taped edges.Again, make sure you leave the bottom part free of tape.
Step 6: Add stuffing and close off the squishy
- Open up the bottom of the squishy and insert stuffing. Continue until you’re happy with the amount of squish.Don’t fill the squishy too full, or else the paper might rip open.
- Set the squishy down so you see the front again. Make sure all the stuffing is hidden inside and add another piece of tape to the bottom section. This tape should overlap the sides and the bottom.
- Trim the tape, if needed, and cut slits into the tape at the rounded edges.
- Fold the tape over to the other side, making sure all the paper is covered with tape.
- Your paper squishy is complete!
Helpful Tips:
- Add as much or as little stuffing as you’d like to your squishy! We prefer adding a smaller amount and leaving lots of room for air to squish in and out.
- Wide packing tape works the best for this craft, but you can also use Scotch tape if that’s all you have.
Get our free printable paper squishy templates:
The links and pictures below will take you to our free, printable paper squishy templates! The PDF files will open in a new window. Then simply print the patterns on 8.5 x 11 (letter size) printer paper.
>>> Avocado Paper Squishy Template <<<
>>> Cupcake Paper Squishy Template <<<
>>> Strawberry Paper Squishy Template <<<
>>> Waffle Paper Squishy Template <<<
>>> Donut Paper Squishy Template <<<
>>> Pizza Paper Squishy Template <<<
Do I need to use the paper squishy template?
No, you don’t have to use a template if you don’t want. You can also draw your own picture and turn it into a squishy! Draw your favourite animal, a cute emoji, or whatever else you’d like.
Make it so your drawing fills half of a piece of paper. Then fold the paper in half at the bottom or side of your drawing and cut out around it. You can cut the paper into two identical halves or leave it folded. Then proceed as instructed above.
What’s the best filling for a paper squishy?
We used poly-fill stuffing, but you can also use stuffing from an old pillow! And if you don’t want to use stuffing there’s a lot of other alternatives.
Try using one or some of the following and see what you like best!
- Crumpled paper
- Shredded paper
- Tissue paper
- Bubble wrap
- Cotton balls
- Makeup sponges
- Plastic bags (cut up or whole)
- Lone sock
- Old scrunchie(s)
What to use to colour a paper squishy?
We used alcohol markers, which are fast drying and good for colour blending. But regular washable markers or permanent markers (like Sharpies) will work fine as well!
We find markers give the cleanest, brightest look, but you can also use coloured pencils, crayons, gel pens, or paint markers.
Have fun learning how to make a paper squishy! This easy craft project is great for both kids and adults. These soft, adorable creations are so satisfying to squish. And it’s so fun to choose the shape and the colours for these cute paper squishys.
Here’s even more fun DIY ideas:
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
Where to buy:
You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Amazon Canada
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