My ds never engaged in imaginative play (at least not much) as a young child. Totally different than my dds. When my kids were really young I thought it was just personality - but once ds was mid-elementary school I realized that, for him, it was related to things that he actually needed to take steps to learn due to an expressive language disorder, things that didn't come naturally to him but come naturally to most kids, and that are very important in social interactions as our children grow. So my perspective now is that yes, it's important, and for some kids, you have to help them learn it just as you would teach any other skill.
polarbear
