Game Closet Organization

Last week I reorganized our game closet. Since our last house was very limited in closet space, we've always kept our board games in a bookshelf. Since we do have closet space in our new place, we just moved the bookcase into the closet, giving us instant shelving! We keep our Christmas tree behind this bookshelf so that it doesn't tip backward into the space behind it.

Here are the important things to keep in mind when organizing games:

*First, if you don't honestly play them on a regular basis, get rid of them. Many people keep games because they wish they were the type who played them, or had people over to play them. But they really don't. If this is the case, get rid of them! Or get rid of all but your absolute favorites! One of my friends kept the games for adults out on a shelf in the garage since they didn't use them on a regular basis and her house didn't have much storage space.

*For kids games, make sure wherever they are stored has open space so that your kids can get their games in and out without making a mess. I wish we had just a little more space here, I feel we're a little too crowded. But the key to getting them to be put back is to make sure it's easy for the kids to put them back!

*Be creative about game boxes. There is nothing magical about the boxes to the games. When I was little, my mom took all our games out of their boxes, stored them in gallon ziplock bags, and put them in a file drawer. Takes up a lot less space! For my kids, when their puzzle boxes start to get thrashed, I cut the picture off, and put the pieces and the picture in a ziplock bag. This keeps the pieces from sliding out of a ruined, bent box.

*Make sure you have some containers for smaller games and parts. The clear container on the top is for card games, the red bin is church activities, and the turquoise bowl is for miscellaneous games/parts that don't fit anywhere else.

*Finally, be diligent about purging! Kids do not need 4 different versions of Go Fish. Make sure all the games are complete, in good condition, and played regularly. If not, out it goes! Games (especially kids' games) are easy to replace and often on sale, so if you come to regret giving one away, it is easy to replace.

I'd love to hear other ideas for organizing games!