Informatics is one of the academic subjects, the expediency of studying which amid digital transformation of many spheres of our life is beyond doubt. Informatics in Russian schools is studied on a compulsory basis in grades 7–9 (13–15 years), but at the choice of educational participants, it can be started in elementary school. Russian informatics textbooks for elementary school are predominantly theoretical in nature. However, junior schoolchildren expect more practical work on the computer from informatics lessons, not so much dealing with the theory as gaining practical skills in digital technologies. Modern visual programming environments allow them to combine mastery of theoretical and practical areas of school informatics, contributing to the development of students’ thinking.