Why not start with a disappearing nine patch? My granddaughter (now 11) made one when she was eight years old (she picked out the colors) and won a blue ribbon for a doll quilt at a regional fair. Her sister (now eight) is making a snowball quilt. She graph designs her quilts and colors the graph before starting. Very meticulous. For the disappearing nine patch, make a block of nine patches, slice it both ways exactly in the centers and then rearrange the patches as desired. It looks like you have made strips, squares, etc. and is really easy. Gives a sense of accomplishment from the start. Have fun! Think it's great she wants to quilt. P.S. I give them gift cards from the LQS and take them (not too often, I can't afford it). Mostly they use my stashes.