What is a childhood without games? Although it seems that the board games of yesteryear have been replaced by virtual, electronic games, some board games and puzzles are still favorites to some. Games and puzzles include pieces that need to be kept in order for the game or puzzle to be useful. Therefore, to get the maximum enjoyment from these items, we are going to spend today gathering, organizing and cleaning these fun activities.. In order to avoid frustration Find and collect all the pieces for the games and put aside. If the boxes that house the games are in need of some repair, tape them with clear plastic packing tape. A secure box will help to keep the pieces together. Spray a little furniture wax (Like Pledge) on a soft cloth and wipe the board and the box cover with the rag. These items are usually a laminate paper and a light coating of wax restores the shine, reduces the scuff marks, and makes the board repel moisture thereby prolonging its use.

Next, take a sanitizing wipe and wipe down the pieces to remove germs and dirt. All small pieces can be stored in a plastic zip top bag to help to keep them together.

Card Games:

First, assemble all cards and ensure that there are no cards missing. If you are missing cards, you may consider disposing of the rest of the deck or turning them into craft projects.

Puzzles:

The best way to organize a puzzle is to put it together to see if all the pieces are accounted for. This could be a fun family project with an incentive when it is completed. For example, when the puzzle is finished, everyone goes for ice cream as a celebration or have a Sundae night with ice cream sundaes and puzzles. Once the puzzle is finished, spray a clean cloth with furniture wax and wipe the surface of the puzzle. Reinforce the box with packing tape to prevent the pieces from falling out of the box and getting lost. Wipe the top of the puzzle box with the cloth with spray wax. When storing puzzles, use a large zip top plastic bag to keep pieces in.

If you find that a puzzle has pieces missing, utilize the remaining pieces for craft projects such as decorate a picture frame with puzzle pieces layered on the frame. Put a picture of your family putting a puzzle together in the frame.

Puzzle pieces can also be donated to a pre school or elementary school for craft projects.

Electronic Games:

The Digital Native generations are here to stay. With them comes the electronic devices on which they play their games. Gaming consoles, Electronic Tablets and Smart Phones are all expensive items which require special care.

The key to my sanity with my children’s electronic games was to write their name on each game disc in permanent marker. My children often lent their games to other children often and if their name was not on the game, we would have never gotten them returned. The other mothers who found the games often gave them back to me and as expensive as the games were, I was certainly happy they did.

Gaming discs can be stored in CD cases which makes it easy to sort through, keeps the discs from being damaged and is easily portable. To clean the discs, simply wipe with a soft cloth and a small amount of window cleaner.

To clean electronic devices, use a microfiber cloth with a small amount of window cleaner and wipe the outside of the device being careful of the screen. Gather all chargers and accessories and house in a dedicated space. Please encourage your children (and yourself) to unplug all chargers when not in use. Electronic chargers are “energy vampires” and still consume energy even when the device is not charging.

Cleaning gaming consoles: it is important that you periodically clean gaming consoles as these items heat up when being used. The most effective way to clean is unplug the console and then wipe down the outside of the console with a damp cloth. Use canned air to spray off the fan and area where the cords attach to remove dust.

As far as the game devices: I engraved our last name on all the electronic devices that left our house. Calculators, gaming electronics, IPODs, tablets, phones, cameras, etc., were all engraved with an inexpensive engraver from the hardware store. An engraver is like a vibrating pen that you can etch surfaces with. Having your name permanently engraved on these expensive devices reduces the chance that they will be stolen. I feel like it saved us from much frustration and possible ruined friendships as children are often impulsive and may “borrow” expensive items like electronics. We did not have one items lost or stolen partly because our name was on everything!

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