“Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play children learn how to learn.”
O. Fred Donaldson, Playing by Heart
American kids today are more sedentary than past generations. They spend more time indoors on social media, watching videos, and playing video games. When kids are outdoors, they are usually participating in adult-led athletic and recreational activities. As a consequence, childhood today is less free and less independent. Our kids play less and as a result are more anxious and depressed, stressed, unhappy, and in poorer physical condition than previous generations.
I founded the Craft of Play to change that. The Craft of Play is a small, family-owned and run company in northern New Jersey dedicated to building beautiful, one-of-a-kind outdoor playscapes and adventure backyards. Our playscapes are designed to encourage free, outdoor play that promotes social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development. I am a Certified Recreation Installation Specialist (NPCAI) and a fully-insured and licensed landscape contractor in the state of NJ (License # pending).
Prior to founding the Craft of Play, I was a professor of sociology at the University at Buffalo and Temple University, a visiting scholar at the Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing at Princeton University, and a researcher at the National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University. I earned my Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, my M.A. from the University of Maryland, and my B.A. from Miami University. During my academic career I published over thirty articles in peer-reviewed academic research journals. My research focused on how the experiences of childhood influence children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development and their academic achievement.
My love of building began early in my childhood. I built forts and teepees from fallen timber in the woods with my friends and brother. My cousins and I tinkered in my grandpa’s basement workshop. After college, I worked as a carpenter for F. E. Anderson Builders, a home builder and renovation company in Youngstown, Ohio. Throughout my academic career, I continued to love designing and building things.
When my wife and I adopted our sons, Will and Lucas, my passion for design and building took a new direction. When the boys were young, I taught them how to build birdhouses and teepees like I did as a kid. When they got into America Ninja Warrior, I built them quintuple steps. As they grew older, the building projects multiplied and became larger.
Before long, our neighbors, local landscapers, deliverymen, and other passersby were telling me that they wished they could be kids again so that they could play in the yard and that we had best backyard for kids they had ever seen. Kids passing by our house often stopped by and asked if they could play. Soon our yard became a gathering place for neighborhood kids to play freely, laugh, have fun, and challenge themselves.
I launched the Craft of Play in 2022. to bring this joy to other kids, families, and neighborhoods.
Robert L. Wagmiller, Founder The Craft of Play