Tricks to Organizing Board Games??

We put all the game pieces in zipper bags and lable with the name of the game so if they fall out, there is not a big mess every where.
I also bought a wooden shelf (made to stack shoes on it), and put it in the top of the closet. I use it to store the games. Now instead of one big stack, there are 2 stacks separated by the wooden shelf. It has worked great for us (we don't have as many games as you do)
You may want to try to relocate the games to another area that is not as high. You can handle getting games in and out if they are easier to reach.

Put rubber bands around each box. And rotate the games out. Have your son pick 10-15 games to have in the closet for now, and put the rest in a more convenient place. (ie...where they won't fall down, get knocked over, etc. You can even put them in another bigger box.) That way, there's some novelty on rainy/"I'm bored" days. Or you can switch them out regularly. The idea is containment and management. If the game box is big you can wrap a rubber band on each end. A little ziplock snack bag, as suggested, can help with the games with umpteen little parts and pieces.

I put rubber bands around the boxes, but I would also suggest you go to walmart and buy shelves you can put up yourself. Make more shelves so that only 2 or three boxes fit on each shelf. California Closets taught me this years ago when they re-did our bedroom closet. More shelves, less stacked up. Works great!

I'm looking forward to seeing your responses, as I have the same problem.
I do keep all the pieces in small zip lock bags, that way in the jenga pile falls over, we're not spending hours picking up and sorting cards and pieces.

I would put them on a lower shelf.

We stack ours in order of size - with the largest on the bottom.

I keep the pieces to games in ziplock bags with the name of the game on the bag - how many pieces, etc. (for example - TROUBLE - 4 blue, 4 green, 4 red, 4 yellow) and keep it in the box - then should any fall - it's in a bag and not spread over the floor.

For games like Jenga - we use a rubbermaid storage box - then that box on the floor and is slid out when needed. We have clear and not clear the ones that are not clear have a piece of paper taped to the side stating the games that are inside.

hope this helps!!

We keep our games in a book case so they are readily available all the time. Now having said that we do keep the games that are for the little kids down low and the games for adults up high. my 7 yr old granddaughter loves to play monopoly and life. 2 games I hate. they are in the middle so she can reach them but I always say how about...... anything else lol.

Buy a wooden sorter or make one (like the ones for magazines/DVDs, etc) and put each game in the slots. Pull them out as needed.

Here are some ideas from various sites. :)

From: http://www.best-child-toys.com/board-game-storage.html
Here are some tips to minimize the problem associated with storing the game pieces and the board in the original box:
• Reinforce the original box with tape (no brainer, isn't it?)
• Put all the small pieces from the board game in a ziploc bag to avoid the scattering of these pieces if the box is accidently dropped.
• Store the board game box side by side on a shelf like you would have stored your books, but with the longest side of the box touching the bottom of the shelf. This way, you increase the durability of the box and make the board games more easily accessible. Try not to stack them since the one located at the bottom of the pile will be damaged from bearing the weight. It is also more difficult to pull out board games stored this way.

Toy storage solution for medium to large number of board games
With this system, you basically store the game pieces and the board separately.
I recommend you to use this system since this toy storage solution will enable you to have a:
• compact and space-efficient system for board game storage, and
• easy-to-access-and-find storage system for organizing board game pieces.

Here are the steps on how to do this efficiently:

First, label the board You can also stick the instruction on the board. Otherwise, you can store the instruction together with the game pieces.

Second, store the game pieces. The cheapest way to do this is by getting a big zip lock bag and store all the component of a particular board game plus the instruction (minus the board) in the bag. Label the bag, for instance: monopoly, with a permanent marker. Alternatively, you may want to label the bag using a numbering system, for instance: board game no.1.Then you can dump all of the baggies into a small bin or a shoe box.
Some moms like to get the game pieces in compartmentalized containers, such as fishing tackles storage or craft storage so that they don't have to go through all the baggies before starting the game.

However, it is important to note that often those storage system are not deep enough to store three dimensional game pieces, like the pawn.
Therefore, if you want to buy these kind of storage and have three dimensional game pieces to store, get the ones which are deep enough to contain these and the ones which have adjustable compartment, like this wooden adjustable craft organizer with acrylic slide top

Alternatively, you might want to take a look at a modular container system which contains interlocking small containers. Each small container is ideal for storing game pieces. The container interlocks to each other, forming an expandable honeycomb arrangement. Each container can then be retrieved like a drawer. This system is truly versatile and is available here

Once you finish these two steps, you have two choices on how you want to store those:

First, using a long drawer for organizing board games. Put all the board from the board games in the drawer and put the containers containing the game pieces in the drawer. Label the drawer with picture and in writing.

Second, using a shelf for board game storage Get a shelf and either a big wicker basket or a big container. Put all the board from the board games in the basket or the big container. Then put the smaller container with game pieces on the shelf. Label each container with picture and in writing.

As I said, I love this board game storage system because it's so versatile.
But how about if you still want to use a board game storage system where you store all the small pieces and the board in the board game box ?
Although I think this approach has its limitation for the reason I've stated above, I will share you some tips to avoid major problems when storing board games and the pieces in one place below.

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Board Games from http://www.ehow.com/list_###-###-####_game-closet-organiz...
1. Board games make up a big portion of many game closets. How to best store the board games depends on the sizes, conditions and types of board games you have. Make sure all of the boxes are in good condition. Reinforce the corners of board game boxes with tape if they are weak. Instead of stacking the board games one on top of the next, turn the boxes on their sides, similar to books on a bookshelf. You can still see the name on each game box. All of the boxes are easily accessible. None of the games will end up on the bottom of the pile so you won't have to remove a lot of boxes to get what you want.
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http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/18412/organizing...

In order to keep everything in check, you’ll need back-up storage and display ideas. Here’s where you get to incorporate a little personal style and expand on your display so that it makes more sense in its surroundings.

The first time you play a new game, grab a few zip-up sandwich bags and toss all the pieces into one and any cards or money into another. Remove any plastic or cardboard partitions that came in the box; you’ll want to put the board back in the bottom of the box with the bags of pieces on top so that the lid will always close and lay flat. It’s just an easy way to keep everything together, and it teaches children about taking time and thought to put things away. If you give a child a specific responsibility, like gathering all the people and putting them in a baggie, they’re more likely to appreciate the teamwork that goes into cleaning up.

The very instant one of the corners comes apart – and it will – give up on the entire box. Don’t bother trying to tape it together. You’ll never get it just right, and even if you do a passable job, not many tapes adhere to that kind of low-grade cardboard for long.

But don’t give up on the game. Toss the box, but keep everything else. This is the fun part. Take the board and prop it up on a plate stand. Place it next to or in the vicinity of your boxed games to help demonstrate that the collection is a deliberate display. Use it as part of the décor. Again, this kind of statement – board games as décor – is more appropriate to casual rooms than formal living and dining rooms.

Meanwhile, you’ll need to rethink storing the pieces, cards and money. If you separated your Clue weapons from characters from notebooks into separate sandwich bags, now you’ll want to first put them all in one bigger storage bag and then put that into a completely different place. Remember to label the storage bag to find it again quickly and easily when you want it.

Rounding out your board game display, choose a container that reflects your personality where you can throw the assorted bags of Clue game pieces, Candyland children, and Monopoly money. Possibilities that work well include decorative hat or photo boxes, brightly painted galvanized tin tubs, woven baskets and even plain plastic containers.

Placed in among the stacks of boxes and the upright standing boards, these boxes will not only provide quick and easy access to the mass of game pieces and moneys, but will complete the setting. Your accumulation of board games will look deliberate, stylish and welcoming.

Actually pulling a game out and playing with it will happen more often, and with an easy clean-up that looks good and makes sense, you’ll be happy to have them all in your home.

I like the idea of having more shelves so that the stack is not so big. I was thinking about those storage cubes that they sell at Target (or a handy hubby could build them).