A friend of mine has a daughter who is too young for a smart phone, but he still wants her to be able to listen to music on the go. I found the following devices using spotify. Have you used any of these or do you have any alternative suggestions?
https://www.tunepat.com/spotify-music-tips/portable-spotify-music-player.html
Edit: found what I was looking for. https://bemighty.com/
Yep. I think this is the standard path for parents today. Kids even get to keep some Angry Birds and PBS Kids cartoon from their formative iPad years.