Being an older model, this one might be ok. But, anyone buying a new machine for a child, please buy a 'real' machine. You can find one on sale for $80 - $100 or check out a used for $40ish. Ask around, someone may have an old machine that they will give you because they are excited at having someone learn to sew. I can not count the times that someone has bought one of the 'beginner' (toy) machines for a child and brought it in for me to show them how to thread or sew on it. They are toys! Nothing is going to frustrate a new sewer faster than these.