When teaching two 10 yr olds to sew (niece and great niece), had two older mechanical Kenmores that still sewed beautifully. They had to learn how to care for the machine as well as sew on them. My niece is now 12 and has had her machine at home for a few years. It is amazing what she has done on her own, having a real machine to use.
When she comes to me she gets to use my new Pfaff because she is so good. She also gets to see what a "better" machine is like.
The other Kenmore is still sitting here, waiting for the next little one,
Moral of the story: don,t spend a lot of money but give themsomething real.