When my Mom taught all of us to sew ..we started out on regular machines... but sewed on paper (no thread) with lines and curves till we got control and coordination with speed control and acuaracy. We had to learn to stop at intersections lift the pressure foot and pivot all get comfortable with the basics of the machine. We all started in about the third grade.
I loved learning that way .. and moved on to taking pages of my coloring books , "sewing them" , making them all perforated on the lines , then punching out the pieces and glueing them onto another sheet of paper... Guess my mom knew how to keep us busy and teach us something at the same time.