Sadly, even a refurbished first gen iPad on Amazon runes $149+. Which is as much as a brand new Fire with case and (importantly) a limited warranty. You could probably do better on Ebay, but then you’re taking different chances. And those early gens are not going to be a powerhouse either.
Not that I don’t agree Fires are about bang-for-buck, NOT performance as I said in my own recommendation. The reason I would consider a mini in this circumstance is if she is already enjoying Connect-the-Dots and Word Search, is she doing so on an existing phone? If so, if it were an iOS device, then yeah, the additional cost of an iPad might be worth it if she’d get the same comfortable experience she is already using. Or if it’s an android system, perhaps a used Samsung tablet would be a good option to preserve the existing experience.
But otherwise? Kindle in the Kid-resistant case should do everything someone operating on a 1st-3rd grade level would likely want and need, and still be pretty snappy about it. Even when not on any sale the base level is $50 before case, although I’d probably recommend the 8 (base model). Or wait until the next Amazon device sale, where you can generally get 20% off or more.
So @needscoffee, if you have information on prior OS experience for the woman in question, and a better idea of budget, we can certainly narrow down the recommendations a bit.