How to Make a Paper Squishy, with 3 Free Printable Templates
A paper squishy is two coloured paper halves with clear tape as a skin and something soft stuffed in between. If you want to know how to make a paper squishy at home, all it takes is printer paper and a roll of packing tape. Our three templates are free to print. Give yourself a good half hour for the first one.
Quick answer
Besides paper and wide clear tape you need scissors and some stuffing like cotton wool or old plastic bags. Print the template at 100 % and colour it in. Cover it with tape and cut out both halves. Then tape them together around the stuffing. An adult cuts the fiddly bits, and paper squishies aren't for kids under three.
Free printable squishy templates (PDF)
Here's a file you can print straight away. It has six A4 pages and three designs we drew ourselves, and you don't need to sign up for anything.
Want more designs? Our paper squishy templates add 20 more, from a dumpling to a gingerbread man, each with sizes in cm.
The toast has a pat of butter on top because butter keeps turning up in Google's paper squishy suggestions in several countries (our own check, October 2026). The other two are a pink strawberry milk and a round cat face.
Pages 1 to 3 are in colour. Pages 4 to 6 have the same designs as outlines you can colour in yourself. Every template comes big (7 to 10 cm, roughly 3 to 4 inches tall) and small. The small one is a nice size for a keyring or a pencil case.
Set your printer to "Actual size" or 100 % and switch off "Fit to page". Otherwise the front and back come out at slightly different sizes and won't line up. The grey border around each shape is a 3 mm strip for the tape, and you cut along its outer edge.
What do you need to make a paper squishy?
| Item | What it's for | Swap it for |
|---|---|---|
| printer paper (80 gsm) | front and back | thicker paper, 100 to 120 gsm lasts longer |
| wide clear packing tape | the smooth skin | self-adhesive book covering film |
| narrow sticky tape | the edges | thin strips cut from the wide tape |
| cotton wool or toy stuffing | the filling | plastic bags, paper towel, tissues |
| coloured pencils | colouring in | felt tips, left to dry first |
You'll also want round-tip scissors for the kids and a sharp pair for the grown-up. By our maths a big shape uses about half a metre of wide tape. One roll goes a long way.
Paper squishy step by step
This is how a sheet of paper turns into a squishy. The template with the face is the front and the plain one goes on the back.
- Colour in both halves. Felt tip smudges under tape, so give it a few minutes to dry.
- Lay strips of wide tape over the whole shape, grey border included. A little overlap between strips is fine.
- Smooth the tape from the middle outwards and push any air bubbles out with a fingernail.
- Cut out both pieces along the outer edge of the grey border.
- Put the halves together with the coloured sides facing out. Tape the edge shut with short pieces of narrow tape and leave a gap about two fingers wide.
- Push the stuffing in bit by bit. A pencil gets it into the corners.
- Tape the gap closed and give it its first squeeze.
Step 5 is the fiddly one, because the tape likes to lift at the curves. A second pair of hands holding the halves together helps a lot. Some people tape the back of the paper too. The squishy lasts longer that way but it gets a bit stiffer.
Try it yourself
Before you tape the last gap shut, squeeze the squishy hard once. If the seam pulls or crackles, take a handful of stuffing out again. If it feels like an empty pillow, add a bit more.
If you tape it shut all the way round, a paper squishy hardly puffs back up. A few pin pricks in the tape let air move in and out, so it rises again slowly after a squeeze. An adult does the pricking with a fine needle.
Squishy without cotton wool or without tape
No cotton wool? Scrunched-up plastic bags or tissues work. Paper towel comes back up more slowly than cotton wool, which makes it feel a little like a slow rising squishy. Leave rice and water beads out. They leak from a split seam and little kids put them in their mouths fast.
No tape at all? Then join the edges with a glue stick or craft glue. You lose the shiny skin and the squishy tears sooner. Self-adhesive book covering film comes closest to packing tape because it covers a whole sheet in one go.
Why does my paper squishy keep tearing?
A seam that keeps splitting usually has one of two causes. Either there's too much stuffing inside or the tape strips are too long and lift at the curves. Pull some stuffing out and patch it with shorter pieces.
Wrinkles in the tape come from smoothing it from one side to the other. Start in the middle next time. And if the front and back don't match, the print was almost certainly scaled down.
Smudged colour just means the pen was still wet. No big deal.
Crafting safely with kids
An adult should be around while the scissors are out. The cat's ears and the small sizes have tight curves, so a grown-up is best placed to cut those.
Careful
Paper squishies aren't for children under three because tape and small pieces can come loose and be swallowed. Superglue and hot glue have no place on a kids' craft table.
Which bought squishies suit which age is in our guide What age are squishies for?
Drawing your own template
No printer? Draw the front yourself. Then lay a second sheet on top and trace the outline for the back. Against a bright window even thicker paper shows through.
Shapes with a clear outline and no skinny arms work best, because thin bits tear when you stuff them. A pat of butter or a round biscuit is easy to draw freehand. Save long tails for later.
For the face, two black dots and a little curve underneath are plenty. A pair of pink cheeks makes any shape look friendlier, bun or cloud.
No time for crafting?
A paper squishy makes a lovely afternoon, but it won't last forever. After a few days of heavy squeezing the tape creases and the stuffing goes flat. Foam springs back after every squeeze instead. Our slow rising guide explains how that works.
All three designs also come ready to squeeze. Sizes and times here are the maker's figures. The PU foam milk carton is 5.5 x 12 cm (about 2.2 x 4.7 in) and comes back in 5 to 7 seconds. The thick toast is 11 x 10 x 3.5 cm (about 4.3 x 4 x 1.4 in).
Thick Toast Squishy, Pillow Slice 11 cmView
Jumbo Milk Carton Squishy, Slow RisingView
Slow Rising Cat Squishy with Ice Cream, ScentedView
The mini toast cube is 4.8 cm on each side and fits in a pocket. The giant strawberry goes with the strawberry milk, and the chubby cat with an acorn with the cat. You'll find more shapes among our bread squishies and cat squishies.
FAQ
Can I make a paper squishy without a printer?
Yes. Draw the front by hand and trace the outline against a window for the back. Simple shapes like a butter pat are easiest freehand.
How long does a paper squishy last?
It depends on how often and how hard it gets squeezed. With daily squishing it looks worn after a few days. On a shelf it lasts a lot longer.
Can you wash a paper squishy?
No. Water soaks into the paper and the stuffing and never dries properly. At most, wipe the taped surface with a barely damp cloth.
What age can kids make paper squishies?
Many primary school kids manage it with help for the cutting. Younger ones do the colouring and an adult takes care of the scissors and tape.
Can I print the templates for a whole class?
Yes, as many as you need. The templates are free to use, at school, at home and even for squishies you want to sell.
