Need ideas for a fun-filled, budget-friendly family night at home that go beyond board games and movie rentals?

Here are three:

• Have an art show.

• Make a scrapbook.

• Go camping — without actually camping. Set up "camp" in the living room, or the backyard, as weather permits.

Families can come up with activities with help from other parents at social groups or on community sites such as www.Hawaii.MomsLikeMe.com, by seeking out resources at the local library — or by brainstorming with other family members.

"When my husband and I participate in family nights we try to provide different experiences for our children," said Joselyn Akana, who earlier this year was named Young Mother of the Year by the American Mothers Inc.-Hawaii Association.

The Läie resident, 35, and her husband have three children, ages 5, 8 and 9.

"We also try to provide activities, opportunities and experiences that showcase their talents and strengthen their weaknesses," Akana said.

For Gayle Araki, AMI-Hawaii's Mother of the Year, family nights at home proved to be very special.

"My husband and I wanted our children to grow up very close to each other," said Araki, 61, of Aiea.

And today, the Araki children — ages 24, 34 and 35 — are like best friends, Araki said.

Akana and Araki share their favorite family night activities that are great for kids of all ages:

• Make up stories. "When the children were younger, we took an empty oatmeal container, covered it with construction paper and decorated it," Akana said. "As a family, we cut out pictures from old magazines and placed them in the container. We would each take a turn picking out a picture and making up stories."

• Create a family tree. Have your children talk to grandparents and other family members ahead of time to do research, gathering names, birth dates and other facts, Araki said. Then spend a night drawing out the family tree and organizing all the information.

• Have a "Family Art Gallery" show. Set a date for your show, then allow your children time every evening to create artwork to add to the gallery. "On the night of the show, allow each child to walk through the house showcasing and talking about their artwork," Akana said. They can talk about things like the colors they used and what inspired them.

• Prepare a meal together. And make it a point to have meals at a table, Araki said. Get the dinnertime conversation going by having the children share their highs and lows of the day or week.

• Play soccer. "We live near a university and have access to a gym," Akana said. "We often get together and play indoor soccer, but you can also do it in the backyard." Play children against parents or girls against boys.

• Go camping without actually camping. Build tents using blankets and sheets, and use furniture to help prop up the tents, Araki said. Use an electric lantern instead of the regular house lights. Sing songs, play games or just talk story. Have dinner and breakfast on a picnic blanket in the middle of the living room or outside on the backyard.

• Work on a scrapbook. "Give your children pictures of themselves and allow them to create a scrapbook," Akana said. "Have them ask you questions about the pictures and journal a sentence or two under each picture."

• Get a head start on holiday craft gifts. "Instead of buying gifts, make them as a family on the weekends," Araki said. There are many crafts that children and adults can do together at home, as well as baking and simple building projects.

• Have a "snowball" fight. "Use old pieces of newspaper and old school work, and crumple them up into paper balls," Akana said. "Put all the paper balls in the middle of the yard and divide the family into two teams. Have someone yell, 'Go!' and have a 'Hawaiian snowball fight.' "