This post is all about how to organize games into bags and photo boxes.
Over the years, we have collected quite a collection of games and puzzles in our home. Unfortunately, in the home we live in now, we do not have any closet storage, other than the closets in the bedrooms. So for years, we have stored all our games and puzzles in the kids’ closets. And while that worked for a while, that was no longer an option, as we were running out of space.
Additionally, aside from the storage space issue, many of the game boxes were falling apart. Some games were missing the original box, while for others, the box was too large. So the pieces would just roll around inside the boxes, so it was hard to keep them organized. So I had enough and started searching for puzzle and game organization ideas online.
I went on Pinterest and saw so many great game ideas, but ultimately I decided to try the zipper pouches after seeing how blueistyleblog.com used zipper pouches to organize jigsaw puzzles. I knew this was the solution I was looking for. Let me warn you, the transformation is jaw-dropping! Dramatic much? A little! Ha-ha!
With that said, below are all the details of how I organized our games, and puzzles in case you want to give it a try too!
This post is all about game organization into bags and photo boxes.
Best Game Organization Into Bags And Photo Boxes | The Steps…
Table of Contents
Step 1: Consolidate All Your Games And Puzzles In One Area
I recommend that you gather ALL your games and puzzles from every room in your house. (I’m serious, ALL of them) And put them all in one area, such as your kitchen table. Don’t leave any board games, card games, or puzzles behind.
Step 2: Purge And Donate
One of my favorite things to do when organizing or resetting a space in my home is PURGING. It’s a perfect opportunity to reevaluate the things you have in your home. Make sure to only keep games/puzzles that you are actually using.
Don’t just keep games just because you “might” play with them someday. If you haven’t played a game or used a puzzle in over a year, it’s likely you won’t play it again. Just donate it. Someone else will actually enjoy it instead of it collecting dust in your closet. Trust me, you will feel SOOO much better. 🙂
Step 3: Take Inventory And Determine The Supplies Needed
This is very important. Don’t just go buying a ton of supplies and end up with not enough or too much. I recommend that at the very least, measure and estimate how much of each container, etc. you will need.
Lucky for you though, most board games, game cards, puzzles, etc. are about the same size. So I have already done all the measuring. All you have to do now is figure out how many zipper pouches and photo boxes you would need for your games and puzzles.
So here is what I found worked best, based on my experience. Hopefully, this helps you determine what and how much you need of each product before tackling your game organization project.
LARGE BOARD GAMES
The best board game zipper pouch for games such as Monopoly, The Game of Life, Sorry, etc. these size A3 zipper pouches fit the large boards perfectly. Additionally for the small pieces that come with these types of games, the smaller zipper pouches that come with this variety pack worked great!
I also used rubber bands for cards and money that come with some of these types of games. The rubber bands work great, in my opinion. Especially because you can easily replace them if they break. But you can also use the same small pouches that come in the variety pack. Or a mix of both. It is totally up to your preference.
Here is what one game looks like complete. (This is the Monopoly)
SMALL BOARD GAMES AND LARGE PUZZLES
For larger puzzles and smaller games, I found that the zipper pouches A5 and B5 size pouches fit great. The two sizes come in a variety packs. But you can also buy them individually here.
Also, the same way I showed you for the larger games, you can use the smaller zipper pouches from the variety pack, and/or rubber bands for the smaller pieces, cards, etc. Then place all those small zipper pouches inside the larger pouch with the board.
CARD GAMES AND SMALL PUZZLES
And what I found worked best for smaller puzzles (by smaller I mean 30-40 puzzles or fewer) and card game storage were these photo boxes. And I also used rubber bands to secure the cards before putting them into the photo box.
Okay, I think that pretty much covers all the types/sizes of games and puzzles you’ll come across. And anything else not mentioned should fit into any of the other zipper pouch sizes that come in the variety back and/or in the photo boxes. Don’t forget the rubber bands! Those come in handy a lot.
Note: Don’t forget to save the puzzle image so you can use it to refer back to when putting the puzzles together. I saved mine inside the zipper bag with its designated puzzle.
LABELS For Game Organization
If you know me, you know this is my favorite part of organizing. Labeling everything! It just makes everything look nice and put together. I LOVE it! Anyway, so now that you have all your games and puzzles in their designated pouches or photo boxes, you’ll need to label your zipper pouches and photo boxes.
Now, there are MANY ways to label. But here is the way I labeled mine.
At first, I started to cut out the game names from the boxes and used packing tape to apply it to the front of the zipper pouch and photo boxes.
But in the end, I made my own labels and relabeled everything with these labels instead. I was missing many boxes, so I did not have all the boxes to cut out labels from the original boxes. So to keep it all uniform, I opted to make my own matching labels for everything. But using the cardboard and cutting out the name of the game is definitely a great option, too.
Here is how it looks labeled with the box cutout.
Here is how it looks with the labels I made. I just like the cleaner look.
Another way to label is well, the obvious way, with a label maker. But if you don’t have a label maker and/or you don’t have all the game boxes, you can download the FREE labels I’ve linked below.
I googled a list of popular games and included them all in the download. I’m sure I am missing many, so feel free to comment below if any of the ones you need are missing, ill be more than happy to update the download.
Step 4: Purchase Supplies & Organize
Now that you have an idea of what products would fit your games and the sizes you’ll need all you have left to do is order your supplies and get to organizing!
Here is a full list linking to the exact products I used.
- Zipper Pouches – Variety Pack. You can also get specific sizes here.
- Large Zipper Pouches (A3) – These are the best board game bags for games that come with large boards such as Monopoly, and Checkers.
- Packing Tape – To apply labels. (if you are using a label maker, you won’t need this)
- Rubber Bands – I got mine at Dollar Tree. I would recommend getting them from there. They have a variety size pack that works perfectly for this project.
- Photo Boxes.
- Large Storage Container – Not necessary. This is just the one I used. Just make sure to get one that is at least 17.5 or 18 inches wide so that all your games fit.
- Narrow Storage Container – Not necessary. This is just an option. I used this one to store the photo boxes.
- Labels.
- Scissors.
Update: I recently came across these zipper pouches. They have several sizes. The largest one is 23 X 31. Definitely a great option for those of you who have larger games that don’t fit into the size A3 I mention above.
And here is the end result! I used these containers I had on hand to “file” all the games into. All three containers are from The Container Store.
Isn’t it crazy? I LOVE the way everything turned out and I am so excited about all the storage space this will save us! If after reading this you decided to start organizing board games in bags below you can find the labels I used and you can download them for free!
Game Organization Into Bags And Photo Boxes | Free Labels To Print
Printing and application instructions: You should be able to print on an 8.5 X 11 regular printer paper. And you can use packing tape to tape the labels to the zipper pouches and/or photo boxes.
UPDATE: If you prefer to edit the labels yourself, I have added the option at the bottom of this page. You will need to create an account with Canva to edit the file. It’s free. Once I figure out a different way to provide the editable file, I will update this to make it easier for you to use. In the meantime, I hope this works for you! Enjoy! 🙂
What do you think? Are you giving this a try?
If you do, make sure to come back and tell me all about it! I also have a story highlight on my Instagram account where you can watch how I tackled this project. (in case you are more of a visual person)
This post was all about Game Organization Into Bags And Photo Boxes
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What do you do with the instructions for these games or the reference pictures for the puzzles?
Hi Denise!
I put the instruction in the zipper pouch as well. And as for the puzzles, I cut out the image from the box and put it in the zipper bag along with the puzzle. (you can tape it to the outside of the zipper pouch if you want to) Also, some puzzles come with a poster of the puzzle image, so for those I keep the poster instead of cutting out the puzzle image from the box.
Hello Jessica! I was wondering if you would consider selling this resource and making it editable? I have an entire closet full of board games and love this label system but wouldn’t want you to have to type them all up!
That’s a great idea! When I first posted the labels, I had no clue how many people would actually reach out for edits to add additional games to the list, so I didn’t bother making editable. But this is definitely going on my to-do list this week or next. Thank you so much for the suggestion. 🙂
Thank you! I am looking forward to seeing your resource, and getting my entire game closet organized this summer!! Thanks again!!
Hello! Will the labels be in a new post? Or will this post be updated?
Thanks!
Hi Taylor! Sorry for the delay. I have added the option to edit the labels. It’s in the same post. Just scroll all the way to the bottom.
Hey, I saw comments that this resource would be updated to be editable. I was looking, but don’t see it. I have some games in my classroom that have more unique names that I’d love to be able to have these labels for. Thanks for all of your help! I love this post!
Hi Ashleigh! I have just added the option today. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page. Thank you!
Hi! I can not find the editable link for Canva. Please help!
Hi Regina, you have to scroll all the way to the bottom. And it will prompt you to provide an email.
What do you do with games that have bigger parts to them? I have younger kids so we have games like don’t break the ice, ants in the pants, a dinosaur game where the bones hook on, operation?? basically games that aren’t really board games. How do you store those bigger pieces?
Games like the break the ice should fit in the largest pouches linked. It would just be a little bulky, instead of flat.
Games like operations, I would either leave in the original box if still in good condition OR put all the small pieces in one of the smaller zipper pouches and leave the bigger piece separate. Just store them in the same area as the rest of the games, such as in a basket or container as I show in this post.
And ants in the pants, I would leave it in the original box too if still in good condition. Otherwise I would use those clear shoe containers that are sold at Walmart, Target or the container store. I believe they are the 6qrt size. And then label it the same way as the zipper pouches. Hopes this helps.
What do you do with the actual boards? Mine are too large to fit into the bags.
What games specifically? The largest board I have are from games such as monopoly and The Game of life. And the largest bag (size a 3) fit them perfectly.
A lot of older versions of board games the boards only fold in half not into a square so they are long rectangle the length of the box I have several of these as they were games we kept from when I was a kid. Like several versions of monopoly, Candy Land, Parchesi, Eureka. They would be longer then letter or A4 sized pounches.
If the board doesn’t fit, I would just leave those in the original box if the box is still good. Or I would put the board right behind the corresponding pouch stored in a basket/container.
I also linked larger pouches I found on Amazon they should be linked under supplies. They might work for these larger boards, however check sizing before buying.
Search (PRO ART PRO-7215H Mesh/Vinyl Bag with Handle and Zipper, 19 by 25-Inch) on Amazon. For the larger pouches I have been able to find.
Ok, you saved mE. I was about to speND a small fortune on sterilite boxes to deal with all the board games. Thank you!! I’D love to use the labels you created, but i’ve got about 2 dozen games that aren’t listed! 😂
Hey! Yay! I’m glad you found this helpful! Send me the list of game names you need to my email [email protected] and I will gladly add them and forward you an updated version. 🙂