I’m Kate, the person behind this blog
I’m an Australian-based graphic designer, writer and mother of two who has been sharing crafty inspiration since 2012.
Back then, my girls were preschoolers, and blogging was a niche industry for hobbyists and stay-at-home mums with a penchant for oversharing. It wasn’t considered real work, and more than one person rolled their eyes when I told them I was a blogger.
The creator industry has grown and changed immensely since then. So have my girls, but my passion for designing cute, fun and engaging projects for kids remains.
I’m still here, sharing new ideas for the next generation of young crafters.
Why take the time to craft with kids?
Arts and crafts are treated as non-essential leisure activities, but I disagree! Creativity is a vital and underrated element of childhood.
Crafts contribute to problem-solving skills, mindfulness, and fine motor skills. They also help kids develop the patience to follow instructions and finish things they start. Not only that, but kids get a sense of pride and accomplishment when they make something cool.
Unlike literacy and numeracy, these benefits can’t be measured and ranked on a chart, but that doesn’t mean they ought to be ignored.
Crafting is a low-stress, affordable and fun way to make memories and spend quality time with the people we love.
What can you expect from the Craft Train Blog?
- Fun crafts and activities
Most of our projects are designed for kids aged 5-12. This doesn’t mean you have to be a kid to enjoy them! Many are suitable for teens and adults, too - Detailed instructions
All projects have step-by-step instructions with photos. Usually, they are accompanied by a video tutorial - AI-free content
Every project has been designed, made, tested and photographed by a human. This is usually me, but sometimes I outsource to other designers and creators. All articles are written without the help of AI (excluding spell-check). - Low ad-saturation
This gives our readers a better user experience - Printable templates
Some of our templates are free, but the majority are for sale in our printables store. This enables me to continue running this website while supporting my family. It’s also how I can afford to reduce the number of ads and test every project by hand before sharing.
Subscribe to our Newsletter
The Craft Train Makes is a weekly e-newsletter that shares new projects and relevant seasonal or themed content from our archives. I don’t bother with marketing spam (we all get enough of that already).
Check out some of our reader favourites
- Make a twirling, whirling whirligig with our free printable template
- Our pom-pom animal crafts are super cute and easy to make using a recycled DIY pom pom maker
- Older kids, teens and adults will love our range of printable doodle art projects
- These paper roll dinosaurs are a fun upcycling project with a free shape template