I read an old Ann Lander’s column back in the 80s that said a cemetary is the best place to learn to drive because you have more realistic driving simulations with intersections, roads, turns, and just a little bit of traffic to deal with. You also have a reminder all around you what happens if you get careless.
The thing I do with my students is that I simply explain to them how a car shifts by comparing it to the gears on a mountain bike. 2nd, I tell them, “Listen to the engine, it talks to you.” I’ll demonstrate poor/improper take-offs and then good ones. 3rd, I really stress to the students that there is absolutely no shame in starting over, ie if you have a bad take-off in a stick-shift vehicle, go ahead and start over and correct what you didn’t do right. Even the most seasoned driving veterans will not try to save a bad start and take a do-over. They do it so quick, you never know. When the students aren’t ashamed to start over and listen to the engine, that sets up an immediately feedback loop that they need to learn the rest themselves. I have them driving on the roads, totally comfortable in an hour and it works every time.
I use a different method to teach kids how to ride bikes but without training wheels, I teach kids how to ride on their own in an hour or less. The smile on their face is worth it all. 
Erin in Nebraska