Another great idea. Thanks

I appreciate everyones stories and ideas! Thank you so much.
Now my concern is that the White Sew E-Z mini machine will be a bust. Haven't seen one except on paper. May have to deal with that when I get there.
Thanks again to all!!!

For my granddaughter's Christmas present, I got her a Singer kids machine. It was a piece of junk. When we returned it, we saw several others just like it that had been returned. I was shocked that Singer would actually put their name on such junk.

We ended up teaching her and her brothers to sew on a real machine after creating a wire finger guard to help avoid sewing over fingers. The grands are 7, 7, and 9 years old and they learned how to thread the machine, wind a bobbin, and sew. They started out sewing on paper napkins.

My sister taught her grands to sew using lines drawn on paper, sewing without thread. Then they gradually moved up to sewing on fabric. My 8 year old great niece is making her very own quilt. :)

She should get to know the machine.What name is what.

I started my 9-year old granddaughter on one of my old sewing machines last year and she began by making a pair of pajama bottoms. We bought an inexpensive t-shirt for the top. This summer, she is working a simple quilt--red, white and blue 5-inch squares. She has done a very nice job and plans to donate the quilt to a local drive for quilts for vets. In the past, I've bought "beginner" machines for my girls but they have turned out to be too frustrating to work with. Chloe, at 10, is now able to use my Pfaff with no trouble at all. She hasn't really begun to explore all the things the machine can do but has her 1/4 seam down pretty solid.

If possible, I would return the mini sewing machine and purchase a sewing machine maybe from Walmart. Granddaughter will eventually grow into the sewing machine. I write this only from experience.

A quick, fun project for a child learning to sew:
Stitch a piece of clear visqueen (available at sewing store and hardware stores) to the front of a blank greeting card. Before finishing the last side, enclose glitter, sequins, any tiny, flat treasures. Then finish the stitching. Easy, fun, and something he/she can share with family and friends.

A lady in my quilting group has taught her 10 year old great-granddaughter to sew. She has now made two children's quilts for homeless families. The first one was just squares (colors she picked from her grandmother's stash) and the second was done by the rail fence pattern in pinks and blues. Both quilts were tied. The only thing she doesn't do yet, is use the rotary cutter.

Wonderful advice. I help with 4H sewing camps with 9 year old. They start with a pillowcase and an apron. Also taught rag quilts to 9 year olds using denim, batting, and flannel.

I liked the idea of stitching on paper without thread to get used to the machine. Then I would do a rail fence or a 4-patch, something simple to gain their confidence.