You are looking to teach control. A hand crank is hard for some adults to control. I had one to learn on - sewed my finger before I was 5. A finger guard will only do so much. A toy sewing machine is not going to teach excellence. I gave my GDs a relatively inexpensive Spartan. It has a drop in bobbin - less to loose. It has a finger guard - I got it at sew-classic. She thinks her little machine is just so cute. I would also try a Japanese 15 - relatively inexpensive and a good machine - they do come in cool colors. AND Muv has a video how to thread it, wind the bobbin, etc.