I used to teach kids how to sew at the quilt shop I worked at. One of their favorite things was for me to be the sewing cop. I would give them tickets for speeding, taking illegals turns, not stopping in time etc. They thought that was hillarious. To teach them to sew a straight line we would take the machine with no thread and an old needle and they would sew down the lines on notebook paper. It was amazing by the end of the sheet how straight they could sew. We never had to repeat that exercise. It is rewarding to teach them, they are so excited to finish a first project. I've had boys and girls and the boys love it just as much and are probably even prouder!