Saw this earlier but just getting back to it now. I actually went a bit of a different route for my kids because I couldnt stand how laggy most dedicated childrens tablets are... they usually have such weak processors. I ended up getting a Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 8.7-inch 64GB and doing a DIY setup. Tbh, the MediaTek Helio G99 chipset in there is way better for running educational apps than what you get in the entry-level budget models. I paired it with a BobjGear Bobj Rugged Case for Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 for that heavy-duty drop protection. For the software side, I just configured Google Kids Space. It gives you all the curated content and parental controls without the extra bloatware. Plus, having 4GB of RAM means apps actually load in a reasonable time. It took maybe 20 minutes to lock everything down via the Google Family Link app. The tablet was about $150 and the case was $20, but the performance boost makes it totally worth it for the long run.

I bought Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro tablet for my son. He love it very much. https://www.amazon.com/Amazon_Fire_HD_10_Kids_Pro/dp/B0BL6DCNGR?------123456890?7649-20

The Amazon Fire Kids tablets and Apple's 9th-generation iPad are excellent choices, featuring robust parental controls, engaging educational content, and durable designs suitable for kids.

iPad mini or iPad Air.

iPAD is the best choice.