Also another thing.... I just remembered this.

Often, kids get discouraged from playing the acoustic guitar because the action is high or the strings are too rigid.

Be sure the strings are low down to the frets and you have good action to start with.

Second part of the equation is the strings. People tend to string acoustic guitars with heavier gauge strings because they sound better. But for a beginner,sounding good isn't generally on the radar quite yet. It's simply about being able to press the strings to the frets to get a clean note or chord. So... there's no harm in replacing the strings that are on the guitar with say a lighter gauge set that bend easier and are easier to fret properly. Ernie Ball Super Slinky .009's are ideal and I ran them on one of my acoustic guitars for a very long time.

You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.