Muffin Tin Pasta Sort
Three shapes of pasta, one muffin tin. Each shape gets its own cups.
- Ages
- 18 mo–4 yrs
- Play
- 10–20 min
- Prep
- 2 min
- Mess
- barely any
- Energy
- calm
- Where
- at the table
You’ll need
Things you probably have at home.
- a muffin tinDon’t have it? Amazon
- three pasta shapes, mixedDon’t have it? Amazon
Optional
- tongs or a spoonDon’t have it? Amazon
- a bowlDon’t have it? Amazon
How to play
Before you start: Mix three very different pasta shapes in a bowl, such as shells, penne and bowties. Put one of each in the top row of the tin as a guide.
Point to the shell in the first cup and find another shell in the bowl.
Drop it in next to its match.
Hand them the bowl and let them sort.
If a shape lands in the wrong cup, pick it up and ask where it lives.
Count how many of each shape there are at the end.
What it helps with
Keep it safe
- Dry pasta can be a choking risk for under-3s. Use large shapes and stay close.
Make it different next time
- Use kitchen tongs for each piece.
- Sort by size instead: big pasta and small pasta.
Cleanup: Tip it all back into the bowl and into a sealed tub for next time.
