How to make squishies from paper, sponge, cover, foam rubber, tape, glue for the development of fine motor skills in children

"Soft" or even "slurping" is a literal translation from English of the word "squishy". This concept has entered the life of a modern person as the name of a small toy - anti-stress. The article provides detailed information about the properties of such miniatures and how to make squishies from various materials, including paper.

What is a squishy?

These are very compact, cute, bright and pleasant to the touch small products, designed to be endlessly kneaded in the hands. On the palms of a person there is a huge number of nerve endings, massage of which can help to quickly calm down and "get out" of the state of stress.

Positive tactile sensations allow you to relax, the impact of a soft toy improves blood circulation. A pleasant addition to the "squishy toy" can be an unobtrusive aroma emanating from the product.

Original squishies are made from durable and elastic materials that easily return to their original shape. They can have pastel or bright colors and a variety of shapes and sizes.

These can be small dragons that bulge their eyes when pressed, or a ball in a net that, when squeezed, produces round berries that look like grapes. For those who love yolks, you can find a transparent silicone ball with 1 or 2 yolks inside. By pressing your fingers, you can roll the yolk from side to side, and if you are very stressed, you can throw the egg at the wall.

What kind of figures can be made?

Soft figures have become very popular among children. The ease of making squishies and the pleasant sensations when using them have led to the emergence of a real squish boom. To have fun and relieve stress You can easily make squishies with your own hands, the most popular toys include:

1. Rectangular pillows with funny inscriptions, which are made of paper and foam rubber. The inscriptions can be: "cake", "happiness", "kitten" or any other word.
2. A squishy made from a dishwashing sponge can be shaped like a delicious cupcake or ice cream, and you can draw a tongue and eyes on the toy.
3. The sweet theme for squishies can be continued: the products can be shaped like a cake, a donut or a mega burger.
4. It is also pleasant to crush figures in the shape of a watermelon, tomato or a slice of any citrus fruit.
5. Round figures with expressed emotions are also popular among squishy lovers. The toy can smile or stick out its tongue cheerfully, its mouth can be “glued” shut, it can be given a surprised expression or a sad smiley emotion can be drawn.

Materials and tools for work

How to make squishies from paper and more is described in detail in the article.

For handicrafts you may need the following materials:

1. Filler, all sensations when squeezing the toy depend on its quality characteristics. The product can be filled with foam rubber or synthetic padding, cotton wool or foam balls, polyethylene bags of different densities are also suitable.
2. The squishy shell can be made from paper or transparent cover, and glued together with tape.
3. The soft base of the toy can be used without a shell; for such variations, foam sponges, silicone sealant or soft sealant are suitable.
4. You can even create squishy squishies using old tights, a plastic bag or a rubber ball.
5. To color the items you will need felt-tip pens, markers, gouache or food coloring.
6. To create a festive mood, you can use glitter.

The most popular tools used in the squishy making process are:

• scissors;
• gouache brushes;
• scotch;
• hot glue or PVA glue.

You can get very interesting paper squishies if you use non-standard fillers:

Name of the filler.	Product characteristics.
Baby diapers cut into small pieces.	The squishies are quite soft and regain their shape well.
Small foam balls.	The toy makes a sound of balls rubbing against each other when squeezed. The product does not restore its shape, but the pleasant tactile sensations are a great stress reliever.
Pieces of cling film.	The film rustles pleasantly when squeezed and quite actively restores its original shape.
Paper bags cut into small pieces.	The toy compresses well, but does not recover very quickly.
Scotch tape scraps.	This toy is pleasant to squeeze; it makes the sound of compressed polyethylene.

Step-by-step instructions for making crafts

The easiest way to make squishies to relieve stress is to use foam figures painted with acrylic paint. Paint, the composition of which is based on acrylic resins, belongs to a special type of paint and varnish materials. They can be applied to any surface, after drying, the mastic forms a fairly strong film that becomes matte.

The drying time of such paint varies from 5 to 30 hours. The advantage of using such a coating is the absence of a specific unpleasant smell. After finishing work, brushes can be easily washed with ordinary water.

To make a soft toy in the shape of a watermelon slice, you need to stock up on foam rubber, prepare paints of three colors: red, green and black, and also take scissors in your hands.

Next, you need to follow the scheme:

1. Cut a piece of foam rubber that looks like a watermelon slice.
2. Paint the middle red and the crust green.
3. Then, use a brush to draw black seeds on the juicy pulp.
4. Let the toy dry thoroughly.

Paper Squishy "Kitty"

How to make paper squishies in the shape of a cat is described in detail in the instructions below:

1. On a clean sheet of paper, you can take colored paper and draw a figure of a cat using felt-tip pens or a marker.
2. If you can't draw, you can print out an image of a soft purring toy from the Internet.

   

3. Fold the sheet in half so that the second layer of paper is underneath the drawing.
4. Using thick transparent tape, cover the entire cat to create a layer of film over the image.
5. The same layer of tape needs to be placed on the second sheet, which will act as the back of the toy.
6. Having carefully smoothed out the tape, you need to start cutting out the toy from both layers of paper at once. To make your work easier, you don’t have to give the figure a very complex shape along the contour.
7. Two parts are folded with the clean (without tape) side inward and covered with a strip of tape along the edge: the film is first glued on the outside, and then folded over to the back of the product. A small hole is left for the filler.
8. To fill the squishies, you can use pieces of foam rubber. They are easy to get from regular sponges for washing dishes. You need to tear off the cleaning layer from the sponge, and cut the soft foam rubber into small pieces, then fill the squishies with them.
9. After compacting the foam rubber, you need to seal the remaining edges of the product with tape.

Squishy from the cover

To make a shiny iridescent toy you will need the following materials and tools:

• Main material: transparent cover and paper;
• for coloring: felt-tip pens, black permanent marker, gouache, which can be replaced with dry pastel if desired (it is better to take soft pastel for drawing, it has a loose structure);
• for decoration: glitter;
• filler: synthetic padding or cotton wool;
• scissors;
• scotch.

Let's assume that some precious stone, such as a diamond, is used as a mold:

1. On a sheet of paper, draw the shape of the cut stone; you can print out a ready-made drawing from the Internet, and then cut out the stencil.
2. Place the paper blank between two layers of the cover and transfer it onto transparent sheets.
3. Cut out both images on the cover along the outline.
4. Dry pastel should be grated on a fine grater to get a colored powder. Beautiful shades are suitable for the precious stone: pink and blue, purple or blue.
5. Divide the cotton wool into separate small pieces, sprinkle each of them with colored powder. To ensure that the paint rubs well into the cotton wool, you can put the filler in a plastic bag and knead it well with your hands.
6. To add shine, you can sprinkle glitter on the colored cotton wool.
7. Both parts of the cover blank are glued together using tape, leaving a hole for the filler.
8. The product is stuffed with colored cotton wool through the hole, then sealed with tape to the end.
9. You can make various inscriptions or drawings on ready-made transparent squishies using a marker.

For variety, you can make a three-dimensional product. To do this, you need to cut out three sides of the figure from the cover, which are successively glued together with tape. The resulting form is stuffed with colored filler. This is how 3D squishes are obtained.

Sponge (foam rubber) squishies

To make delicious squishies that have the shape of a soft donut or sweet cake, you need to stock up on the following materials:

• foam sponge for washing dishes of any color;
• gouache paints;
• food coloring to create an airy "cream";
• shaving foam;
• PVA glue;
• scissors.

To start work, you should decide on the shape of the future toy; here, it is better for the master to be guided by his own taste:

1. The “dough” needs to be cut out of a foam sponge, giving it the desired shape.
2. Soak the figure in gouache, light beige paint is suitable for vanilla dough, to make a chocolate cake you will need a dark brown shade. Let the sponge dry completely.
3. To create the cream, you need to mix PVA glue, shaving foam and a little dye.
4. Place the resulting “cream” on a foam base, giving it an appetizing shape.
5. To give it a “festive” look, you can sprinkle glitter or sequins on top of the uncured mass.

To get a neat hamburger, you can use makeup sponges instead of a dishwashing sponge. The round parts are soaked in gouache of different colors, imitating the layers of the hamburger. If desired, you can also apply cream on top.

Silicone (silicone sealant) squishies: vegetables and fruits

How to make squishies from paper and not only is a question that all lovers of calming their nerves with the help of "anti-stress" ask themselves. One of the options for creating volumetric toys is to use silicone sealant as a base.

When working with this material, it is necessary to follow some rules:

1. It is better to protect your hands with latex gloves - during the process of making squishies you will have to knead the sealant with your hands.
2. You need to work in a well-ventilated area; when mixing the mixture, a specific reaction will occur with the release of a vinegar smell.

To work you will need:

• silicone sealant;
• potato starch;
• multi-colored markers.

Any figure can be molded from the mass, for example, a unicorn's head:

1. Squeeze the required amount of sealant onto a flat surface and sprinkle some starch on top.
2. Knead the dough with gloved hands; during kneading, a vinegar smell will appear. The finished mass will become matte white.
3. Give the dough the required shape, molding a nose, horn and ears.
4. After an hour, you can start coloring the unicorn's head using markers.
5. Allow the form to dry completely, this will take about a day.

Squishy Rolls from Sealing Rope

For sushi lovers, soft squishy rolls are a good choice, made from small pieces of white packing tape. It looks like airy rice filling, and if you paint it, you can get a very realistic roll.

To make the toy you will need:

• sealing harness;
• gouache and brushes for painting rolls;
• hot melt glue;
• scissors.

To get three different rolls, you need to do the following:

1. Cut off equal pieces from the bundle, which will be the same size as real sushi and have the shape of a cylinder.
2. Paint the outside of the first piece with black and green paint, which will imitate nori leaves.
3. The second piece can be left white, but the outside can be dotted with bright red spots to resemble salmon roe.
4. The third cylinder can be designed as a roll wrapped in nori and sprinkled with sesame seeds. To do this, the main background is painted black and green, and light yellow specks are applied on top.
5. To ensure that each roll has its own filling, you need to cut out indentations in the center of each cylinder using scissors.
6. Small pieces are cut from the remainder of the sealing tourniquet, which will need to be painted in different colors. For example, green pieces can imitate cucumbers or avocados, orange-red ones will look like salmon meat, and small yellow plates can imitate cheese.
7. The dried “filling” is glued to the center of the cylinder rolls using hot glue.

Jelly Squishes

How to make squishies from paper, as well as from many other materials at hand, can be done at home. For those who often buy different yogurts, a squishy option made from gelatin and soap in the form of a watermelon is suitable. To make the toy, you need to select 3 round jars so that the second jar is wider than the first, and the third is wider than the second.

In addition, you will need:

• gelatin;
• food coloring in three shades: red for the middle (you can choose dark pink), white for the layer and green for the watermelon rind;
• transparent shampoo without added dyes, transparent liquid soap will also work;
• permanent marker black;
• plastic cup.

Instructions for making squishies:

1. Dissolve 3 tablespoons of gelatin in a glass of water, to do this, leave the poured gelatin at room temperature for 20-25 minutes.
2. Divide the resulting mixture into two parts, leave one in the glass, and place the second in a container and put on low heat.
3. While heating the gelatin mixture, you need to add liquid soap and red or pink dye to it; this will be the core of the watermelon.
4. After thoroughly mixing the ingredients, the mixture is poured into the smallest mold and left in the refrigerator for half an hour to completely harden.
5. The frozen red circle is placed in a medium-sized mold, and it should be placed strictly in the center.
6. In a similar way, a mixture of gelatin, shampoo and white dye is cooked on the fire. Instead of dye, you can use regular milk.
7. The white mixture is carefully poured along the edge of the red solidified jelly, forming an additional colored layer on the future toy.
8. Place the mold back in the refrigerator until completely set.
9. The last green layer is poured and cooled in the same way as the white one, only the largest form is used.
10. The resulting jelly cylinder is cut into separate layers, which can be divided into slices if desired.
11. To make the watermelon have seeds, draw them with a black permanent marker.

Squishy from tights/socks

If you want to squeeze something larger in your hands, you can make a very simple cactus craft from nylon or any other green tights; colored knee-highs may also work.

In addition, you will need:

• filler, which can be regular cotton wool or pieces of synthetic padding, foam balls are also suitable;
• to form the thorns you will need silicone rubber bands;
• fake doll eyes or marker;
• scissors.

Procedure:

1. Cut a straight part out of the tights and sew it into a semicircle on one side.
2. The resulting long bag is stuffed with filler, and the edge is tied with a silicone rubber band or also sewn into a semicircle.
3. Eyes are sewn onto the green blank (buttons can be used) and a smiling mouth is drawn. Eyes can also be drawn.
4. To make round "spikes", you need to grab the tights with your fingers with a small pea of ​​filler and fix the resulting lump with a silicone rubber band.
5. The toy will fit perfectly into the design of a child's room if you place it in a flower pot.

Squishy made from lightweight plasticine

A very enjoyable activity would be to make squishies from a soft material called "light plasticine". It is sold in individual polyethylene packages, each piece has a bright and cheerful shade. The material is airy and feels like marshmallow.

After the product is formed, the mass hardens itself. Finished toys are able to retain their original shape and return to their original state after pressing.

To make a pyramid of three cat heads you will need:

• 3 pieces of light plasticine of different colors, in the proposed example pink, yellow and green shades are used;
• black and blue markers for coloring the blanks;
• raspberry marker for marking ears, cheeks and tongues;
• pupil corrector.

Sequence of actions:

1. Roll each piece of plasticine into even balls using your palms.
2. Flatten the blanks with your fingers and mold triangular ears on top of the shape.
3. Form a pyramid from three blanks, for example, in the following order: a pink figure on top, a yellow one in the middle, and a green one at the bottom.
4. Press the figures tightly against each other.
5. Let the workpiece dry a little.
6. Use a black marker to draw large eyes, mustaches and indicate smiles.
7. You can color the pupils with a blue marker.
8. Use corrector to highlight the highlights on the pupils
9. Use a pink marker to draw a blush on the cheeks and color the middle of the ears.
10. To completely harden the mass, leave the toy to dry for 6 hours.

Squishy from a balloon

Cats have the ability to relieve stress, but if you don't have a furry pet at home, you can make a purring squishy cat from an ordinary rubber ball.

For this craft you will need the following materials:

• white rubber ball;
• You can use flour, potato starch or light foam balls as a filler;
• an empty plastic bottle, which must be dry;
• a funnel or cone rolled from a sheet of paper;
• markers;
• scissors.

Instructions:

1. Pour potato starch into a dry bottle through a funnel.
2. Inflate the balloon a little and twist the tail, but do not tie it.
3. Pull the end of the balloon with the rubber band over the neck of the bottle.
4. Untwist the tail of the balloon, it will not deflate.
5. Turn the bottle of starch upside down and pour the contents into the inflated balloon.
6. Remove the balloon from the bottle and carefully release the air.
7. Twist the tail of the balloon and tie a tight knot.
8. Cut off the excess tail.
9. Draw a cute smiling cat with markers.

Foamiran squishies

You can make squishies from airy and light foamy material foamiran. This type of craft differs from squishies made of paper in that the toy is not afraid of water, firmly holds the given initial shape and does not fade in the sun. Using sheets of foam, you can make 3D squishies in the shape of a large and soft candy in just 2 minutes.

Materials:

• 2 sheets of A4 foamiran in different colours;
• a foam sponge that will serve as a filler;
• 2 silicone rubber bands;
• Moment glue.

Instructions:

1. Apply glue to the edge of the sheet along one of the long sides, roll the foam into a tube and glue it.
2. Insert a foam sponge into the center of the resulting cylinder.
3. Tie the edges of the future candy with rubber bands and straighten the edges nicely.
4. From the second sheet of foamiran in a contrasting color, cut out shaped decorations and glue them onto the resulting candy.

Squishy Rice Flour Soap

A cute and soapy donut that you can not only knead, but also wash your hands with, can be made using very simple and affordable ingredients:

• rice flour;
• liquid soap, preferably transparent, but white will do;
• food coloring in the following shades: light orange or yellow, pink, dark colors for decorating the donut (blue, green);
• knife.

Sequence of actions:

1. For 4 tablespoons of rice flour, add 2 tablespoons of liquid soap, mix everything in a bowl.
2. Divide the resulting mass into two parts: one larger one to form the “dough” and a small amount of mass for the glaze and sprinkles.
3. Add a few drops of yellow or orange food coloring to the largest piece of dough and roll it into a ball in your palms.
4. Flatten the dough into a donut shape and use a knife to cut out a round hole in the middle.
5. Add pink paint to some of the glaze dough, mix and roll into a thin flat cake, making a hole in the center the same as in the finished donut.
6. To make the glaze look natural, you can make the edges of the cake uneven.
7. Place the flatbread on the donut and press down to seal the two halves together.
8. Add dark dyes to the remaining mass and form balls and small stripes.
9. Sprinkle the donut with decorations.
10. Keep the product in a water bath for 5 minutes, then let it cool to room temperature.

Squishes from a plastic bag

You can quickly and easily make a large soft serve ice cream from a regular bag.

To make a bright anti-stress toy you will need:

• a plastic bag that does not rustle when squeezed;
• filler: cotton wool, napkins or toilet paper;
• transparent tape;
• narrow colored tape in red, yellow and white shades;

Instructions:

1. Place the filler in the corner of the bag.
2. Fold the edges of the filled corner to form a cone shape and secure the shape with tape.
3. Add filling to the rest of the bag and form a ball over the cone.
4. Secure the bag with tape, the result should be the shape of a large ice cream.
5. Cover the ice cream ball with strips of colored tape in a spiral pattern, alternating red and white strips.
6. Cover the cone with strips of yellow tape.

The article provides step-by-step instructions that describe in detail how to make squishies. Such soft and funny toys can be easily made at home not only from paper, but also with the help of many other materials at hand.

Author: Elena Zhukova

Article formatting: Vladimir the Great

Video on making squishies with your own hands

Making paper squishies: