Computers and information
Grade 3 · Computing
Give clear instructions, solve problems and use technology safely.
Choose a game
Take your time, try a game and collect stars.
Input and output devices
Is a microphone an input or an output device? A free elementary computing game about keyboards, printers, sensors and screens, with a printable sheet.
Play Input and output devices
Learning about computers and information
In this Grade 3 computing collection, you can practice Input and output devices. Choose a game above for a short activity, or explore the examples below before you play. The full guide for each game explains its controls, gives more examples and includes a free printable for practice away from the screen.
Talk it through
Ask your child to predict an outcome before testing it. When a prediction does not match the result, change one thing at a time. Safety games rehearse decisions, but children should still ask a trusted adult when something online worries them.
Ask: “What would happen if you changed one step?” Give your child time to explain. Return to an example after playing and ask whether they would approach it differently.
Input and output devices
Computers work with information. Input is information sent into a computer, for example words typed on a keyboard, sound from a microphone or movement picked up by a sensor. The computer processes it, then sends information back out as output, for example text on a screen, sound from speakers, a page from a printer or movement from a motor.
Try an example: Is a microphone an input device or an output device?
A microphone picks up sound and sends it into the computer.
Show the answer
An input device.
What to look out for
Thinking speakers are input because you plug them in. Plugging in does not decide it. Ask which way the sound travels: from the computer to your ears, so it is output.
Practice away from the screen
- Go on a device hunt at home and sort what you find into input and output.
Curriculum connections
Input and output devices
Suggested grade 3 practice, selected by skill and reading demand. US states and schools teach these topics in different grades; this is not a state-standards alignment claim.
CSTA 2026 PK–12 Standards teaching connection: Hardware and software. This game introduces a related computing concept. Extend it with creating, testing or discussing a real example. The suggested grade is editorial; no specific CSTA performance code, certification or full coverage is claimed. Read the framework.
Questions families ask
Where should we start with computers and information?
Start with Input and output devices. Look at the worked example together, then try a round. If the task feels unfamiliar, use the full game guide or its free printable before trying again.
Does this cover everything taught at this level?
No. These games provide focused practice. Grade suggestions do not replace your school’s curriculum, and any Common Core connection applies only to the skill described.