I love winning playing games with my family. I do not love opening my hall closet and being hit on the head with a stray game piece or board. Games are fun, but keeping them organized can be difficult.
Here are a my favorite ideas for organizing your games.
Take stock of your games every few months.
Make sure the games are not missing pieces. Throw away games that cannot be played because of missing pieces. Donate or sell games that you do not play anymore, or ones that you have never played and will never play.
I know it’s tough to get rid of nice games (especially newer ones) but if you aren’t using them, don’t let them clutter up the games you are using regularly.
I often see board games at yard sales and thrift stores that are still in the shrink wrap. Buy used (but still new) games to save money!
Buy small plastic containers when they are on sale.
I love containers! Thanks to TikTok I’m addicted to organizing with clear bins. Bins are a great way to organize games that either don’t come with a board or the box is falling apart.
Fix or throw away broken games.
Mailing tape works great for repairing worn boxes and boards. I have a scrabble game that miraculously has all it’s pieces and is almost 40 years old! The box is almost 60% tape at this point, but we still love to play it!
Keep a small stash of batteries in your game closet.
I’m not a huge fan of games that require batteries, but many newer games require them. Storing batteries with the games makes it easy to replace them when needed. I keep a few double and triple A batteries in a resealable bag in the closet.
Store games sideways.
This worked great in one of my houses with a small closet. If the boxes can hold up, this makes getting games out of the closet so much easier than stacking them on top of each other.
Plus the kids don’t pull a game on the bottom out and all the other games (and pieces) come tumbling down.
If you don’t have a closet for storage get creative.
Bookshelves, wooden or metal cubbies, kitchen cabinet, microwave cart, hutch, coffee table, or trunk are all great places to store games.
For a few years I had a large coffee table with two big baskets. It was big enough to store all our games and everyone could reach them.
Decorate with games.
When I sold my last house, I had it professionally staged. The decorator used board games to decorate my shelves in the living room. Not only did it look great, the games were easy to access.
Keep the games where you are most likely to play them.
If the games are stored close to where you would play them, you are more likely to play them.
When was the last time you organized your game closet?
Shannon says
I love the idea of storing the boxes sideways! My family plays a lot of games too and if the game we want is at the bottom of the pile, the others often go flying! Another thing my kids love are puzzles. With all of the different box shapes and sizes these can be difficult to store as well. We now cut the picture off the face of the box and store it with the pieces of the puzzle in a large plastic zipper bag. You can still see what the puzzle is, how many pieces and all of the bags fit into one small plastic bin.
Melissa@Pink Paper Peppermints says
Hey, did you come to my house and take a picture of our game closet?? heh-heh
I like the sideways tip! Maybe I will tackle our game closet this week with that one!
Melissa~
Lisa H. says
if only the kids would put everything back exactly as I organize it!
TheHappyHousewife says
I know, I know, but that is another post, lol!
Ashley says
We found that if you’re short on space, a Ziploc baggie can often hold a game. You don’t have to worry about storing a bulky box, and all the pieces are sealed together.
Carri says
My family love’s games as well. I love the idea’s my only question is? Store games sideways. I know I have tried and they just lose peices that way. Do you have a way to keep the box closed to do that because if I could figure out a way to keep it closed and do that then i so would. I tend to keep my games in the mids room closet. I dont have to go in it and my daughter has so much space in her closet she can afford to have the games. We need a few new games choices. Do you have any favorites for the family? I would love to hear them.
Sarah says
Instead of throwing away a favorite game that is missing a few pieces, check the manufacturer website. Most offer replacement pieces for their games for just a few dollars. Hasbro is really great about this- check for replacement parts under the Customer Service tab.
An idea I love for board games is to use the boards as wall art. Hang the boards with heavy duty velcro to the wall so you just pull off when ready to play. Use large colored envelopes (from a craft supply store, the kind used for scrapbooking) to hold ziploc baggies of pieces and instructions. Store the envelopes in a basket.
TheHappyHousewife says
Sorry, I guess I wasn’t clear enough. I definitely would encourage people to check with the manufacturer for replacement pieces, I was talking more about games that are so worn out and missing pieces that it would be better to purchase a new one. 🙂 The Let’s Go Fishing Game comes to mind, as we seem to go through that game every few years. The kids LOVE it!
Fiery says
You missed 2 very important ideas for keeping games in working order and neatly organized.
Use zip top storage bags to hold loose game/puzzle pieces. This keeps them sealed in one location and prevents them from falling out of the box.
Don’t throw away games with missing pieces. Check out the manufactures website or contact them via information printed on the box for replacement parts. These can be had for a few $. This is also a great way to pass on a game to someone else if it still has a lot of life in it but is missing a piece or two. You can also ask friends if they have these games with missing pieces and combine the two into one game.
You can also sometimes find generic playing pieces and dice so you have extras on hand and can expand games to accommodate more players. Missing pieces in some games can be replaced with household items.
Abbie says
My hubby and I played a lot of games together when we were first married – just the two of us and with friends. Now, with three kids 5 and under, board games are not often a good option unless the baby is sleeping and the 3-year-old is in an exceptionally compliant mood! But one of these days … 🙂
Teri says
Does anyone know where to find a plastic replacement box for board games…specifically Candy Land? Our storage box is trashed but the game still has all the pieces and is in great shape. The Container Store sold replacement boxes a few years ago but have now discontinued selling them.
TheHappyHousewife says
I have no idea…. but I’ll ask around.
Tanis22 says
Your website is very informative except it is also not wise.
1. Sometimes games go out of print, particular any of the ones that are used by hobbyists, aka, HeroQuest and Space Hulk, which sells for quite a bit on ebay. So throwing them out would not be a “wise” option as the if the game can be reconstructed from spare parts on e-bay, it is advisable, else sell your parts on ebay so others can fix theirs up.
2. To get the boxes to store sideways, like I actually do, I use Bookcases and to prevent the boxes pieces from going all over the place, inside use zip lock bags, bead containers, etc.. On the outside use a rubber band or two.