Lev Vygotsky (1986-1934) was an educational theorist and psychologist of extraordinarily wide knowledge whose major writings deal with the entire learning-teaching-development experience. Despite a wide-ranging interest in Vygotskian theory, the issue of imagination remains outside of the main line of general inquiries into his work. Thus, there is a gap in the list of "Vygotskiana" topics that are studied in North America and Vygotsky's writings on the imagination and its development have only recently become a topic of discussion. This article attempts to fill the gap. The author discusses Vygotsky's notion of the development of imagination and summarizes Vygotsky's views on development. She illustrates the theoretical differences between Piaget and Vygotsky about the nature of imagination. She then briefly explores why it is important to understand more about how culture is mediated by cognitive tools, and how this changes one's entire understanding about imagination. Lastly, the author discusses Vygotsky's alternative approach to curriculum and instruction development--one that involves a greater use of the imaginative capabilities of students.