Help improve my pictures :)

[J.Sparks]

Hi attached are some unedited photos I took from a Canon 450D with 18-55mm kit lens and no tripod. I'm new to photography and I'm looking for tips and maybe some tricks on how to improve the pictures I take. This particular bunch of photos are only a few of the many I took that day but unfortunately the others turned out to be slightly blurred after closer examination at home. I find it hard to know what the right exposure for a shot should be. Maybe that's something that comes with time. Is there anything I could do to these photos in post-processing that would make them more appealing? Or advice on how to get more out of the subject before I take the shot?

First shot - 1/6 F5.6 ISO200.

Second - 1/6 F5.6 ISO200.

Third - 1/4 F5.6 ISO200.

Fourth - 1/25 F5.6 ISO200.

Fifth - 1/15 F5.6 ISO400.