Pasta Shapes for Kids: Penne, Fusilli, Shells and Elbows

Pasta comes in hundreds of shapes, and this puzzle has eight of the most familiar: penne, the slanted tubes; fusilli, the spirals; ziti; elbows, used in macaroni and cheese; shells; bow ties, called farfalle in Italian; rings; and tubes.

Bow hides inside elbow too, but it also appears on its own. Penne runs upward and ring reads backwards.

Pasta Shapes Vocabulary: 8 Words to Find

Words run across, up and down; 2 of the 8 read backwards. The longest word is Fusilli, with 7 letters.

Bow: Bow tie pasta, called farfalle in Italian, which means butterflies.
Elbow: Elbow macaroni, short curved tubes used in macaroni and cheese.
Fusilli: Spiral-shaped pasta that holds sauce in its twists.
Penne: Short tubes of pasta cut on a slant, like the tip of a quill pen.
Ring: Ring-shaped pasta, like anelli, often used in soups.
Shell: Shell-shaped pasta, called conchiglie in Italian, which scoops up sauce.
Tube: Tube-shaped pasta, like rigatoni or ziti.
Ziti: Medium-sized tubes of pasta, often baked with tomato sauce and cheese.

How to Solve the Pasta Shapes Word Search

"Ziti" has the only Z, and "fusilli" the only F, with a double L; it runs down. "Bow" hides inside "elbow", but it also appears on its own, reading across. "Penne" has a double N and runs upward.

Pasta Art and Cooking Activities for Kids

Make a pasta collage with dried shapes from the list.
Thread rings and tubes onto a string to make a necklace.
Cook two shapes and ask which one holds the sauce best.