This is a very good answer. One of my kids got obsessed with Skyrim, so I used a similar approach to the one you're suggesting: I made Skyrim themed things using cosplay materials for her to play outside - a helmet, a sword, some armor... the other kids got scared to death when my 6-year old ran towards then screaming and brandishing a wicked looking sword made of styrofoam using full fake plate armor and a horned helmet, but she had the time of her life. Metallic paint spray can do wonders...

I would add that all these things can be done with her. You want her to learn engineer? Build the doll house with her, add light to the doll house with her. Also, since it's imaginary play, you can use imagination sometime "we need to go to x, can you make sure your doll sleep properly and when we come back they will be all rested".

@the_lotus darn it, that is what I meant... I will edit to make that clear. THANKS!

I think the “lucky” comment is a bit knee-jerk there—while both television- and computer-based entertainment can certainly be both addicting and lacking in appropriate stimulation for a child, there are also examples of appropriate programming and programs that can be developmentally useful. A four-almost-five-year-old could conceivably muck about in Minecraft or similar, for example, which could encourage imagination as well as problem-solving skills. So I think the tone of that comment could be softened to avoid encouraging people to, ahem, throw the baby out with the bathwater.

@KRyan I would much prefer my child was not 'on a kick' with TV or computers and was playing with dolls at 4 or 5. If that is knee-jerk, I can live with it!

@Willow I wonder then how you would feel about, for example, this product that uses building blocks to produce a program that directs a robot, with the explicit goal of giving children an early start into digital and computer literacy in the modern world. It seems to me to be about the same place as traditional building blocks in terms of creativity and imagination, but with an added benefit of being more applicable to our increasingly-digital world.

@KRyan if it wasn't an obsession and the child went outside, got exercise and played with other children, I'd be fine with it. I like computers! I like TV! I think there are all sorts of ways that computers are better teachers than humans. (I am a retired teacher.) BUT: I would not want my kindergartener or my teenager on a device 'kick'. There are too many other things to do.

@Willow Sure, except those same concerns could pertain to dolls. The question specifically mentions the girl is not playing with others, but rather bringing dolls to the park to play by herself with the dolls. And doll-playing is not typically a strenuous activity. I agree that being fixated on dolls here is not so bad, certainly better than other things she might be fixated on—including some TV/computer options. But others in that category seem to be in the same boat as dolls as far as being an acceptable fixation. Which is why that paragraph seems over-strong, and I recommend softening it.

Totally with @KRyan here. It's baffling how computers are "non-imagination-based". And sure there's a lot of junk on TV (less so if you're a cord-cutter and use ad blockers) but what's there for kids is pretty "imagination-based" too.

@TSar : Your 6 year old got obsessed with Skyrim? 'tis rated M for Mature 17+, for gore and sex and alcohol and "intense" violence. I wouldn't let my 6 year old play it, not once (unless maybe in controlled circumstances that kept the player in a limited safe area; even then I'd really check those controls and likely supervise). How'd you let your 6 year old get so much exposure to the game so as to become obsessed with it?

@Willow: I like your last sentence. But I don't understand the "Aren't you lucky that it is" ... "not" ... "computer." What have you against technology? This coming from someone with memories of being 5 years old and being obsessed with video games and computers, who has never kicked the computer behavior of computer usage and has now grown into a leader overseeing technicians in an IT shop. I'm not meaning to provoke, but to ask a real question: how's my case different, and more concerning, than your brother's?

@TOOGAM Age ratings are a guideline, not a rule, and a very rough one at that. Personally I couldn't watch 6+ films without stopping out of fright until I was 10! The reverse is common too.

@TOOGAM That's actually one of the most funny parts of letting her play RPG games. She can get way more mature than older people while playing it, avoiding subjects that make her uncomfortable. She gets supervision while playing, so we can check what she is doing and remember her to keep good behavior. Also, she got a mild OCD, so sometimes she spend hours just lining up stuff correctly and sorting stuff inside containers and such, or how she freaks out when she discovers a new place and it is too "messy", and she starts cleaning up a NPC's house. It is a joy for us to watch her play!

@TOOGAM Also, there is a huge difference between Skyrim - on which you can very much be a very polite hero - and GTA, where is more or less required that you be the bad guy. She can play Skyrim, but not GTA, for example. The Fallout 3 is okay for her to play, but the New Vegas one is a bit too much for the same reasons, etc. We go by our judgement of the game, not really the label on it. For another example - they did watch Lord of the Rings and Rogue One without problems, but "Coraline" was too much for them and gave them nightmares for a while.

@TOOGAM I have nothing against computers. I do not want TV or computers games to be my kid's obsession. There are imagination-based games out there, but even they are a lot more limiting simply because the child is sitting and inactive. (R./KRyan/TOOGAM) I repeat that I like tech just fine -- I simply prefer any toy that doesn't have them inside or just sitting for hours at a time. We are talking about a kick -- an obsession, not one of many activities. The OP asked about dolls and they can be a worry IF that is all she plays with - we're expanding her selections from there!

@Willow I really enjoy your answers...

@TSar Thank you very much! The thing I like best about this site is the number of great but different ideas for the same question. I have a point of view, but that doesn't mean I am not learning from everyone here. I really do think this format offers a better method for our OPs to find a solution that works for them and their own particular circumstances. I really liked your punching bag answer. (Remember that?)

@Willow I do, yes. This site is also awesome for all the nice, wonderful people we find out there. Thanks for being around and being nice for those here, and the other SOs!

@Willow Sorry, I made a typo. Indeed, on this site SO has two meanings - Significant other, which is the meaning you are used to, and Stack Overflow, the main site of the Stack Exchange network. What I intended to type was "SEs", or "stack exchanges", meaning the siblings of this site (like Worldbuilding.SE or Workplace.SE, etc). I made a typo and it ended up really confusing! Sorry!

@TSar Thank you!