My niece learned how to sew on a sewing machine we got her for Christmas last year. She was going to be 10 in Feb. She learned some sewing on her Gma's machine but when she got her own, she needed to know how her machine worked if she wanted to sew at will. It was pretty simple and she cleans her machine before and after in case she forgets. I had a few striped fabric scraps so she could keep in line. She made a couple drawstring pouches and went on to make some pillows and a small baby quilt for a friend. Gma and I helped her with that. That little guy carries that quilt every where. Her machine is a zig zag so she can decorate with them a little. She has been visiting gma a lot because Gma's machine is a little bigger and more decorative stitches. Gma also has a FW at her disposal and she loves to use it. She got her mother to download the manual for it. I think starting them on striped fabric scraps was more fun and actually gave them the satisfaction of actually making something when finished. Paper just shows them to stay on the line or in between. Fabric won't tear like paper will and they can take the fabric home to show others their progress.