Hide and Seek. If you want to hear a preschool daughter squeal with delight, play a couple of rounds of hide and seek. You can close your eyes and slowly count to twenty, and that should give her time to find a good hiding place. To make it even more fun, while you are "seeking," talk out loud about where you are looking so she can hear you. She will giggle when you say, "Is Kellie behind the door? No!"
Building Blocks. Playing with building blocks is becoming a bit of a lost art. But taking some time to sit down with a barrel of colored blocks and your daughter will pay big dividends. One the best parts of playing with blocks is that every time you play it is a different experience. You can build castles and pretend she is a princess, or you can build houses for her and her friends. Or you can build a whole neighborhood and see what happens with her imagination. One of my daughters just loved to build a big tower with blocks and then knock it down with a swift kick and start over. Just go with it and enjoy the unstructured time!
Puzzles. We have a bunch of age-appropriate puzzles in our game closet and they are a clear favorite for our preschool grandchildren. They are pretty easy - usually about 10-12 pieces, so the little ones can handle them. We also have some cute puzzles that are wooden cut out letters and numbers that fit in a wooden frame so we can even mix in a little learning at the same time as we are having fun. Make sure that the puzzles are right for your daughter's age so she doesn't get discouraged with them being too hard. Try putting a piece in the wrong place occasionally and have your daughter correct you and put it in the right place. You will be amazed at how well she will do with this fun game.
Princess. Playing princess is a fun activity for most of our preschool daughters. You can usually find a princess dress or two at a local toy store or the Disney Store, or you can find a fancy dress-up dress at the local thrift store; having a dress makes this activity even more fun. You can play the handsome prince role, or you could be a dragon or an evil wizard. She will usually be occupied for hours. You can even learn more about the Disney Princesses so that you get the storyline when she wants to be Cinderella or Tiana.
Tea Parties. While not technically a game, a tea party is still a lot of fun for a preschool daughter and her dad. A little water in her toy teapot and some little cookies or crackers can go a long way toward a great tea party. Make easy conversation about whatever is on her mind and you will find this to be a great memory maker and a way to connect with your little girl on a new level.
Dress Up Games. Like playing princess, getting dressed up and pretending to be involved in an adventure is a great activity for a dad and his little girl. And it doesn't have to be complicated at all. A raincoat and an umbrella can be the basis for an entire afternoon of make believe. We keep a little basket in our basement playroom with dresses, shoes, and various hats and caps and capes. It only takes a little imagination to have a great time dressing up.
Video Game Duels. If you or your daughter is into video games, you should consider a duel on the XBox or Wii. In our home, we have and love our Wii game system, and we really enjoy Wii Sports. My granddaughters get a charge out of swordfighting, bowling and shooting hoops on the Wii with their dads and grandpa. And if you do it right, you might even get a little exercise in the process.
