Speaking from personal experience, as a Civil Engineering grad...
It was rare for many freshman to get a real internship in my field. At best, you could get a job as a laborer on a construction site. Any real engineering internship required at least sophomore level coursework.
I ended up working in a factory in my hometown the summer after my freshman year. It was a fantastic experience and I still think back to it often. It keeps me grounded in understand who will be building what I put on drawings. Speaking as a parent, I would not rush my child into a traditional internship right away if she's not interested yet and/or if she's too early in her coursework to do anything meaningful. I would not be afraid to let them use this as a time to explore and learn about their own personal interests/passions. As long as they are contributing to something worthwhile in a positive way, and supporting themselves in some way, that's enough for me.