- Medium
- 30–45 minutes
- 3D shape
- about 2.4 × 3.3 in (6.0 × 8.5 cm)
Start your morning craft session with this cheerful Honey Rings cereal paper squishy! The golden honeycomb box features a smiling kawaii bowl overflowing with crunchy rings, a wooden dipper dripping sweet honey, tiny happy bees, and a playful Squish Facts panel on the back. You get a free printable template in US Letter and A4 with 3 versions: full color, a line-art coloring page, and a blank box net. Pair it with our milk carton paper squishy for a complete breakfast set.
What you need
How to make it, step by step
1Print the template
Print your Honey Rings cereal box sheet at 100% on plain printer paper—make sure to turn off the “fit to page” setting. Check the scale bar at the top right so it measures exactly 2 inches (50 mm on A4). If you picked the coloring page version, grab your warm golden yellows, honey oranges, and soft browns to color the smiling bowl, buzzing bees, and cereal rings right now before adding any tape.
2Tape the motif
Lay strips of wide clear packing tape across the entire cereal box net, making sure every yellow and blue tab is covered too. Smooth each piece outward from the center with your fingers so the glossy finish over the honeycomb pattern and the Squish Facts panel stays bubble-free. Don’t stretch or pull the tape as you lay it down, or the paper will curl up once you cut it out.
3Cut it out
Use your scissors to cut neatly along the solid black outer line all the way around the cereal box shape, including all the tabs. Take your time around the angled corners of the yellow glue tabs at the bottom and the blue tape tabs at the top so you don’t accidentally snip them off. Keep all the dashed interior lines intact—those are your fold lines for building the 3D box.
4Pre-fold every tab
Line up your ruler along each dashed line and run an empty pen firmly over it to score the paper. Fold every single tab and vertical box corner inward toward the blank white back once, press the crease crisp, and open it again. Because the taped Honey Rings front and back panels are quite wide, pre-folding now is the secret to getting sharp, boxy cereal corners later.
5Make the walls
Fold the vertical panels into a rectangular ring with the cute bee and cereal bowl artwork facing out. Put a dab of glue on the long yellow side tab, tuck it inside behind the front Honey Rings panel, and press it until it holds. Right away, run a strip of regular clear tape along the outside of that vertical corner seam from top to bottom so it stays shut.
6Close the bottom
Rub glue onto the yellow tabs along the bottom edge of the cereal box. Fold the bottom flap with the little flowers and cereal rings inward, pressing those glued tabs firmly against the inside walls of the box so the base sits flat and square. Leave the top honeycomb lid with the blue tabs wide open for now so you have plenty of room to add the filling.
7Tape the bottom
Since craft glue alone doesn’t hold on slick packing tape, reinforce the whole bottom of your cereal box from the outside. Lay strips of clear tape right over every bottom edge, running all along the length of each seam where the base meets the front, back, and side walls. Smooth the tape down tightly over the corners so no stuffing can poke through when you squeeze it.
8Stuff it
Push loose scrunches of plastic grocery bag or fluffy tufts of fiberfill down through the open top of the box. Reach into the bottom corners behind the smiling cereal bowl first, then fill up the middle toward the top. Keep the stuffing light and airy so the tall, narrow cereal box stays square with flat front and back panels instead of puffing out like a round pillow.
9Close it
Fold the blue tabs inward and bring the top honeycomb lid down to close the box. Hold the lid shut with your fingers while you seal every top edge from the outside with clear tape, covering the full length of the front and side seams. Press the tape edges smooth all along the top so your cereal box looks clean and neat.
10Squish!
Done! Your 3D Honey Rings cereal paper squishy is ready to play with. Give the middle of the box a squeeze and watch the golden walls puff right back into shape. For a slow-rising squishy, prick one tiny pinhole in an inconspicuous spot, like inside one of the little white daisy flowers on the side panel.
Free Honey Rings Cereal Squishy Template
- Color
- Coloring page
- Blank, design your own
- Step-by-step guide
One free PDF: the template in three versions (pages 1–3) and the step-by-step guide (pages 4–6). Print the template at 100% on plain printer paper.
Tips for the perfect squish
- Box corners look rounded. Tall cereal boxes need crisp vertical edges to look like real packaging. Score every dashed line firmly with your ruler and empty pen before folding so the wide front and back panels bend cleanly.
- Front and back bulge out. Because this box is wide and flat, too much filling will push the Honey Rings bowl panel into a round dome. Take some stuffing out so the front and back stay flat and boxy.
- Side seam pops open. Glue alone doesn’t hold on the taped surface once you squeeze the box. Press a fresh strip of clear tape along the entire outside length of the vertical corner seam.
- Tape wrinkles over the bowl. Wide panels can catch air bubbles if you pull the packing tape tight. Lay shorter strips gently across the cereal artwork without pulling, smoothing from the middle outward.
Questions
How do you make a 3D paper squishy cereal box stay square?
Score all the dashed lines with a ruler and an empty pen before folding, and stuff the box lightly. Overstuffing pushes the wide front and back panels outward, while loose scrunches of plastic bag or fiberfill keep the cereal box flat and crisp.
What paper works best for a cereal paper squishy template?
Use plain printer paper (80–100 gsm / 20–24 lb). Heavy cardstock is hard to fold once covered in packing tape and makes the finished cereal box stiff.
Can I build this cereal box squishy using only glue?
No, glue just holds the yellow tabs in place while you build the walls and base. It doesn’t stick to tape-covered paper for long, so every glued seam gets a strip of clear tape from the outside.
What can I stuff my paper squishy cereal box with?
You can use plastic grocery bags for a light, crinkly feel or fiberfill for a soft squeeze. Stuff lightly so the 2.4 × 3.3 in (6.0 × 8.5 cm) box keeps its neat rectangular shape.
What other paper squishy ideas go well with this cereal box?
You can print a whole miniature breakfast pantry by making our fruit rings cereal squishy right alongside this honey version. If you craft with a class or group, print one sheet per person, cut tape strips in advance, and plan about 45 minutes.
More paper squishies to make
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