{"id":"ee8a52410c66fbad7f3db3a24917ab51","slug":"imaginary-friends-in-preschool-age-children-normal-development","question":"imaginary friends in preschool age children normal development","answer":"Imaginary friends are a normal and healthy part of development during the preschool years. They're especially common during this stage, when children's language and imaginative abilities are expanding rapidly. Kids with imaginary companions often show stronger social understanding—they tend to grasp other people's feelings and thoughts more readily than peers without them, and they typically have stronger social skills overall.\n\nAn imaginary friend doesn't reflect anything about your child's language development or social maturity in a concerning way. It's actually quite the opposite: it's a sign their brain is working creatively and socially. If your preschooler is chatting away with an invisible friend, that's something to feel good about.","sources":"[{\"pmid\":\"35502485\",\"title\":\"Autistic children who create imaginary companions: Evidence of social benefits.\",\"journal\":\"Autism : the international journal of research and practice\",\"year\":\"2023\",\"url\":\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35502485/\",\"score\":0.82}]","thread_json":null,"topic":"cognitive-development","view_count":0,"created_at":"2026-09-07T23:00:47.046Z"}