Good idea with the lights and sound with no needle. Maybe you can invent some kind of game that will help with speed control.
I started my first lessons on my old machine, but have moved my GDs to my new one because it has a governor on it and I can turn the speed down to a plop-plop that is easy to control things under. We also start by making lines on paper, no thread. I draw lines and they outline them with the needle. By the time we have material and thread there's a fair bit of control and lots less frustration.