So, you've got a kid who's hopped on the Star Wars train, or maybe a daughter that's absolutely fallen in love with Sam and Frodo. One of the toughest parts of being a Dad is understanding the passions that our children find, even when those passions don't necessarily match your own.

However, thou shall still pass! The test of being able to have fun with your kids, that is. Here are a few ways that you can spend some time with your kids that'll include the stuff they love and also let you have fun as well!

Cosplaying and Conventions

One great family activity that everyone can get in on is cosplaying at conventions. It's no secret that parents need to spend time with their kids doing healthy activities, and conventions are a great way to dive into geek culture.  Conventions for film, TV, specific fandoms, comics, and more are held all across the United States at all times of the year. Getting the family together to dress up as characters from Guardians of the Galaxy or Star Wars can be a ton of fun, from choosing who's who and deciding whether you'll go with the Mace Windu or Obi Wan lightsaber.

Even if you can't make it to a convention, cosplaying at home can still be tons of fun. Kids have big imaginations, and making short movies for fun with them will make for treasured home videos years down the line.

Movie and Book Nights

Maybe your kid is a big Harry Potter buff, but that might just be because they haven't seen the Chronicles of Narnia yet, or read them! Reading together as a family can be a great way to spend time together while keeping things educational. Also, it'll give you the chance to read Game of Thrones before your children do, so that you can judge for yourself whether they're old enough to read it for themselves.

Sharing interest in movies and books can be a great way to bond with your kids. It'll give you both shared worlds of knowledge to draw from, make jokes about, and just love together! Exploring the fantasy of Ursula Le Guin and Mary Stewart or the sci-fi of C.S. Lewis and Philip K. Dick will be things your child might love. Plus, it's no secret that children who read perform better in school, have healthier brain development, have better speaking skills, and are provided with a number of other benefits.

Gaming

We live in the 21st century, which means computers and technology are important parts of our lives, and they'll be important parts of your kid's lives as well! Gaming is becoming bigger and bigger among both boys and girls, and dads can have a great time gaming with their kids. Learning teamwork, clear communication, and how to compete in a healthy and fun way are all things that can be learned through gaming, so consider a console or system that will allow you to play co-op RPGs, shooting games, and whatever else your child might be interested in! Children who play video games are somtimes known to devlop faster reflexes, and greater ability to rapidily absorb complex information than their nongaming peers.