I'm out of fixed wing instruction now but I used to tell my students that "mainwheels are for landing on, nosewheels are ONLY for steering with".
I also got them to read the latest CAA accident/ incident bulletins regarding light aircraft and tell me what was the most common type of damage to aircraft with tricycle u/c. It was almost invariably nose leg/prop damage and usually a student pilot was involved.
I saw a flicker of understanding on quite a few faces.