Name the professional sport, and there's a fantasy league related to it. Movies, books and many other forms of entertainment might be considered escapist fantasies, in many respects. A preschool-aged child's ability to imagine is a sign that they are developing emotionally and intellectually. Under most circumstances, parents should play along. Too often, parents want to analyze the fantasy.
Children use imaginary friends to work out all kinds of things.
It's like mulling things over in a way, then playing it out. So I think it's a real healthy think, to have that. Taylor also believes, based on her research, that children who have imaginary friends have an advanced social grasp and are better able to understand how people think and feel than are children who don't participate in that kind of play. It does some good for the child. Krall and Yasutake say that by the time a child enters school, their fantasy life should more or less be behind them.