Foam Crafts to Make with Kids: DIY Squishy Shopkins

 

Don’t toss your foam scraps!  Anytime I make a project like a bench or rocking chair with Fairfield World Foam, I always save my remnants.  These high quality, extra bits are perfect for so many small crafting projects.  I especially like to use them for kid’s foam crafts.  My kids are always raiding my foam scrap stash to craft with.  They love to make their own Squishy toys!  Here are some ideas for squishy crafts, as well as some of my tried and true tips, to help you get started.

My kids like to play with Shopkins, and decided they wanted to make Squishy versions of some of their favorite characters.

 

My son decided to make this cute milk carton.  I used my meat cutter (see my tips below for more info) to first cut the milk carton shape.  He used blue craft paint to paint the entire foam piece blue.  After that, he used a white paint marker to draw the stripe, and a black permanent marker for the eyes.  He is so proud of his handmade Squishy craft, and proudly displays it in his room.

My daughter made a cute dog bone Shopkin Squishy.  I used my scissors to cut out the bone shape that she had drawn on the foam scrap piece.  She painted it with yellow craft paint.  She used pink metallic puffy fabric paint to make the bow, and I added dots of Dimensional Magic to create the raised areas for the face.  After the DM had dried I used a fine point permanent marker to draw the face.  My daughter gets so many comments and compliments about this Squishy toy!  I think they enjoy the toys that they make more than the ones they purchased.

I love how creative my daughter gets with foam.  Check out this sweet snow owl headband she made!  She came up with the idea all by herself, and she made it almost entirely on her own (I just had to help with the glue gun!). She proudly wore it to school and her friends were all impressed with her handiwork.

My daughter also made this very long coral snake using a long scrap of foam I had left over from a bench project,  She cut the ends to a point, then meticulously colored in every single stripe using permanent markers.  I was so impressed with her perseverence, and the snake turned out perfectly!

Here’s her Valentine bag.  She used foam to make the hands and feet for the heart shaped Shopkins bag.  So cute!

Are you ready to make some Squishy crafts with your kids?  Here are some things we have learned through trial and error.

Tips for making foam crafts:

• For precise cuts use an electric meat cutter tool.  I have one that I use just for foam.  Here’s a video where I show how I use my cutter on foam.
• Kids can use scissors to cut and shape the foam.  This is easier with smaller, thinner pieces of foam.
• Craft paint works well on foam.  Younger kids can use washable markers to draw and decorate the foam.  Permanent markers work very well on foam and produce brighter colors than washable markers.
• Hot glue adheres the pieces together easily and quickly.
• Add highlights or glossy areas (like cheeks and eyes) by using a product like Dimensional Magic or Liquid Glass.  You will need to wait for it to dry before using the Squishy.

We are planning to make a slime filled Squishy next.  We got the idea from this cool YouTube video:

https://youtu.be/cqOE5Pj1i5o