With the traynor amp you have (no master volume ) you should get a guitar with hummbucker pickups. they will give a better range of sounds. (clean to dirty)

the other thing is to get a guitar tuner that is in line between the amp and guitar.It is very important to always be in tune while learning (especially the kids). Trane's the ear to hear notes and pitch correctly and will pick things up much faster.

Try to use light gauge strings. Less stress on fingers and easer to press down on the frets.