The following quote is taken from an article written by Shirley Wang, published by the Wall Street Journal - http://tinyurl.com/ylmqkxg

"For years, imagination was thought of as a way for children to escape from reality, and once they reached a certain age, it was believed they would push fantasy aside and deal with the real world. 

But, increasingly, child-development experts are recognizing the importance of imagination and the role it plays in understanding reality. Imagination is necessary for learning about people and events we don’t directly experience, such as history or events on the other side of the world. 

For young kids, it allows them to ponder the future, such as what they want to do when they grow up"