My granddaughter was 6 or 7 when I started her sewing. We started with a scrap of fabric and a button. When i let her use the machine, I unthreaded the machine a drew lines on a paper and let her follow the lines. I have also been told to use a page from a coloring book page for practice. She is 9 now and we make something when she asks to sew. We have made a can coosie, and a coaster and a pillow for her doll. We also made a small quilt for her dog. I keep trying to think of simple things that don't take a lot of time and are easy to sew. The main thing is to encourage her and not overwhelm her. She loves the time sewing with me.