Before your moving day arrives, take a look at what you need to know about safely packing and transporting your board game collection.

Sort the Games

Organize your move from the start. If you have a toy box, bookshelf, or bins filled with board games, separate and sort everything before you start to pack. To easily organize your board game collection:

  • Create categories. Choose categorizes to sort the games into. These could be by age, trivia topics, educational level, characters, associated nostalgia, or another similar idea. You may also want to create alphabetized categories, such as games names A through K and L through Z.
  • Divide everything by room. Even though categories can help you to start organizing, go a step further and divide the board games by room. These could include family room games and games for each family member’s room.
  • Remove unused games. If you don’t or won’t play the game, it doesn’t have to take up space in your moving truck. Donate, sell, or recycle games you won’t bring to your new home.
  • Inventory everything. After you create categories and sort the games, inventory everything that will move with you. Write a list in a notebook, use an app, or create a spreadsheet. The inventory will help you to keep track of the board games before, during, and after the move.

Now that you’ve sorted the games, you can take the next step and pack everything for your move.

Prepare the Games

How can you keep your games safe during the move? Move-day prep can reduce potential damage or loss risks. To prepare your board games:

  • Open each game individually. Prepare each board game one at a time. This minimizes the clutter and allows you to easily focus on each game.
  • Sort and bag the pieces. Sort dice, game play pieces, cards, and anything else that’s part of the game; it’s easy to lose these items mid-move. Place these items into separate plastic zipper bags.
  • Box the bags. Gather the bags of game pieces or cards and place them into a small-sized box. You can also use a plasticware container to secure these items.
  • Secure the parts. If possible, place the container of playing pieces, cards, or other items into its original packaging. Secure the containers with packing or masking tape.

You may not want to move games with missing pieces. If you can’t play the game without the pieces, eliminate the item from the inventory and either recycle it or give it away.

Pack the Games

To pack the games, you can secure them with painter’s tape or tie a piece of twine around them. Avoid packing or duct tape. While these can hold the box closed, strong types of tape can tear the cardboard exterior or leave behind a sticky adhesive residue.

After you secure the game box:

  • Wrap the board game. Reduce the risk of damage with a protective layer of bubble wrap. If you don’t want to buy a protective product (such as bubble wrap), use a bath or dish towel.
  • Choose a container. Use a cardboard box to hold lighter games; heavier games may need a sturdier plastic bin.
  • Stack the games. Stack the wrapped games inside the container, placing the heaviest or largest on the bottom. Stuff the rest of the container (the sides or top) with bubble wrap or rolled towels.
  • Seal the container. Seal cardboard boxes with packing or duct tape. Plastic bins should have well-fitting lids that seal completely.

Label each box or bin with the contents. Include what types or category of board games are in the container and which room each it belongs in.

If you need some assistance with your next move, contact our team at Island Movers Inc. for more information.