My kids love squishies. They are a great sensory tool. I came up with the idea to make a DIY squishy for them. I had a hard time figuring out how to make them myself until I stumbled upon something. That’s how these DIY Emoji Squishies were born. 
I found that the size of these was perfect for my kids to squeeze. They fit easily into their hands. So satisfying to squish!
Squishy toys help you release intense emotions, relieve stress, and get that happy chemical (dopamine) going, leading to those feel good feelings. They can also help boost focus, memory, and attention. Read more about the benefits of squishy toys.
Materials to make Homemade Emoji Squishies:
- round makeup sponges (we found these colourful ones at the dollar store)
- permanent markers in a variety of colours (you’ll need black and red at minimum)
How to make Homemade Emoji Squishies:
Draw an emoji face onto each round makeup sponge with permanent markers.
Set them aside overnight to dry. It is important that you resist the urge to squish them until they are fully dry or the faces will smear. We made that mistake initially. And sad little smudged faces are not cute!
Once they have sat overnight, squish them, play with them, share them.
Toss some into backpacks or purses for on-the-go fidgets.
I love how these emoji squishies are not only a sensory tool, but a great way to help kids talk about their emotions too. You know I’m all about helping kids to develop an emotional vocabulary and making it fun and natural for them to talk about their feelings. 
I encouraged the kids to tell stories using the emoji faces. I thought this would be a great way for them to practise their emotional vocabulary.
My plan may have backfired a bit when little miss here decided to create a love story between two of the emoji faces. Her little drama ended in them kissing! Silly girl!
If you’re able to find your makeup sponges at the dollar store, then these are so inexpensive to make. Ours came in a pack of 6, making these less than 25 cents each to make! They would be cute to give as party favours or to make with a group.
They are a nice change up for kids to use instead of a stress ball as they have a similar effect. These are also a great fidget toy to have in the classroom as they don’t make any noise.
For more easy and fun ways to help your kids learn about emotions and be able to communicate their feelings, check out our popular Teaching Emotions Toolkit. 
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