We love to play games as a family. They're well-used, well-loved and most of the boxes have gotten ripped and damaged over time. I taped the edges and corners, only to have them rip again. Can you relate? I finally decided it was time for a better solution. When I saw Hello Happy Home post about organizing games into bags, I knew I had found the solution to my game organization problems.
It took me a few days to collect all the right containers and go through each game, but I'm so happy with the results! It saves a TON of space, keeps the games more protected then they were in broken boxes, and looks amazing.
Have I convinced you yet? Follow these steps to organize your games ... you'll never look back.
Pull out all your games and put them in one spot
First things first, in order to organize your games, you need to pull them all out and put them in one single spot. Gather games from closets, bedrooms, toy rooms, kids rooms and anywhere else they may be hiding.
Remove games you don't play or ones that are broken
Let's go through and clean house while we're at this organizing business, ok? Have you played all of these games in the last year? Last 2 years? If the answer is no, you should probably donate them.
Also, keep an eye out for missing pieces that make a game impossible to play or ones that are broken beyond repair. Those should probably be thrown out.
Transfer games to zipper bags or photo boxes
You'll want a couple packages of zipper pouches that come in a variety of sizes. Different games take up different amounts of space and you want them to fit snug in the bag so the contents don't move around too much.
Pull all the game contents out of the box and find the bag the fits them best. If there are cards or small pieces plus a bigger game board, use one of the smallest zipper pouches for those and put them inside your larger bag.
The biggest game boards, like Monopoly and Candy Land required a larger zipper pouch. These ones were perfect for those large board games.
Plastic photo boxes are also helpful to have for small puzzles and games. I used mostly these 4x6" photo boxes, but the 5x7" photo boxes are also helpful for bigger puzzles and games. These Large Hinged Boxes are perfect for cards and card games.
Tape game title to the bag/container
Use sharp scissors to cut out the name of the game from the original board. Attach the name to the outside of the zipper pouch using clear packing tape. Make sure to keep any instructions as well. You could either tape instructions to the back of the bag, or place them inside with the other pieces.
'File' the game bags into storage bins
This game organization system works like files in a filing cabinet. They all sit vertically so they're easy to shuffle through and find what you're looking for. Nothing is stacked on top of anything else.
These basketweave storage bins from The Container Store work perfectly for my game bags. I got a couple bigger bins and a couple smaller ones. These narrow plastic storage bins work great for cards.
Label the bins
I separated my kid and adult games so that it would be easier for my kids to find what they were looking for. I used chalkboard tags and a white paint marker to label everything. A labeler also came in handy for the card storage bin.
I've loved this new method for game organization! It feels like so much less wasted space and everything is uniform. I hope you love it too.
Game Organization Sources
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