— October 20, 2024

Do you enjoy the game Go Fish? I do too, that is why I made Go Pasta! It plays just like Go Fish. But has an educational twist that will inspire your budding chef outside the kitchen. My boys love to help me in the kitchen, especially my 3 year old, Mick. He loves to mix ingredients, crack an egg, and fetch items from the pantry. If he can help he wants to, and sometimes he has a high opinion of his capabilities. 

Do you have a little sous chef? A child that you would be surprised if they did not become a chef. That is my Mick and he is not always capable of helping. If you have a child like this who you want to encourage in the culinary arts but always doing that in the kitchen is too much then Go Pasta! is a great game for you and your little one. There is no stress of being in the kitchen with a preschooler and they are still getting to play with food. Kind of.

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There are at least 350 shapes of pasta.

There are many types of pasta. Before creating this game I did not realize just the sheer number of types out there. This game highlights the most common types that you could find at most grocery stores and try making with your little one.

Although I did not know there were so many, what I did know is that there are different shapes for various uses. One type is designed to highlight the sauce that it is blanketed in. While another is designed to stand alone and allow the pasta itself to be highlighted. 

Before playing, intrigue your child in the culinary art world.

There are a few ways to interest your child in the world of pasta. First make pasta for lunch or dinner the same week. Whether you decide to make it from scratch or from a box, be sure to eat pasta. If you’re considering making pasta check out this post here, How to make homemade pasta with your 3-5 year old. 

Another option is to read books about pasta. Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola is a classic and a whimsical story of a grandma witch and her magic pasta pot. I cannot recommend it highly enough for your budding chef. The poem Spaghetti from Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. And a more simple but fun board book, Little Book of Pasta by Christina Sicoli. 

Also available at Pp is for Pasta are a couple coloring pages for the letter P and they highlight the various types of pasta that will be seen in the game.

Now that we have thoroughly immersed our child, we can set up the game.

The Game Go Pasta!

Materials needed.

First, you will need the free printable available for download below and cardstock. Cardstock allows for better concealment of the prints. There are 12 types of pasta included but I recommend using less depending on the number of people playing. For example, we had three players (5 year old, 3 year old, and an adult) and we played with 10 types. Also included is a key. Unless you are a pasta lover and know them by heart don’t forget to print this. Having it in the center of the game is helpful to those who can read. My eldest and I are able to use it and assist Mick. 

Cardstock and the printable are all you absolutely need but I have found our book stand to be extremely helpful for little hands sorting game cards. We use this book stand for a lot of different uses. Holding open How To Draw books for my eldest, handwriting guide papers, recipe books for me in the kitchen, and we use it for holding playing cards that our preschooler would struggle to hold. We love this book stand in our home.

Set up.

Shuffle the cards and place the key in the middle where it can easily be referenced. Go Pasta! Has the same rules as Go Fish. Deal 5 cards out to each player. The remaining cards go in the middle, in the “pasta pot.” 

Play.

Each player takes a turn asking another player if they have a specific type of pasta. Player A must have the type of pasta they are asking for in their hand. Also, they must specify who they are asking. 

If Player B has that type of pasta in their hand they must hand over all the cards that are that type. If they do not, then they can tell Player A to “Go Pasta!” Player A must then draw a card from the pasta pot. 

Once a player has all 4 cards of one type they lay them down on the table, this is called a book. These cards are no longer in play and will now count towards their potential win once play ends.

Winning.

The winner is the player who has accumulated the most books by the end of play. When the end of play occurs is dependent on the rules you have set out with as a family. To keep it simple in our home, since we have young children, we end play when someone runs out of cards. Even though not all the books have been created, we total up what each player has and declare the winner. 

I have found this works best for keeping play fast and allowing us to play multiple games. Which is ideal in our home because our children are competitive and the more games we play means the more potential winners. There are many deviations to the game, make it work for your family. I have included a few options below.

There are a few possible variations from family to family.

I have found it is best to keep the game as simple as possible for younger ones. Too many rules and they can easily become frustrated. This is why basic rules and instructions are provided. However, for those who know their child can handle a bit more, here are some variations to consider.

Player A can continue to ask for cards in a single turn until they are told “Go Pasta.” They can ask anyone or they must ask the same person in one turn and cannot switch who Player B is.

Play can end when someone runs out of cards or when it’s that players turn again they can draw three cards. Then on their next turn they can ask for one of those types. 

Get the free printable now so you can play with your child today!

Kitchen activities for preschoolers do not always have to be in the kitchen.

Sometimes I am not eager to battle the mess or the fighting that will ensue in the kitchen with three young children wishing to be in there all helping at once. This game offers a relaxed environment for me to encourage their love for the culinary arts. 

Letter of the Week for homeschool.

If you enjoyed this game and wish for more pasta activities to do with your preschooler in and out of the kitchen then check out Pp is for Pasta. You will also find book and poem suggestions as well as coloring pages. 

Pp is for Pasta is one week in a 26 – week curriculum that teaches more than the alphabet to your preschooler. Full of play based learning activities, science, math, coloring pages, book suggestions and more for each letter it is Letter of the Week reimagined for all that home learning has to offer. Explore more at the button below.

Go Pasta!

Game Instructions