Here is my 2 cents on learning the icy ropes with kids involved.
Think of the ice fishing session as a trilogy. First Ice. Mid-Winter. Late Ice. Each session has it’s own set of pro’s and con’s. It’s also important to recognize that sessions are not split evenly and usually include a transition period of unequal durations.
First Ice Period. Panfish (Gills & Crappie) are schooled tight. Feeding windows are relatively loose with various fish feeding all day long. Strikes are generally aggressive in nature. On the backwaters of the Mississippi River, most of the schools begin congregating in shallow (less than 5′ deep) back water sloughs and bays in the mid to late Fall session. Where in which they are found during the first ice period. Weed beds are extremely popular areas. On most days in the early ice session, presentation is not all to critical to merely catch fish. A jig with a hook of some sort, tipped with plastics or live bait will do the trick. However, fine tuning a presensation will help put larger fish on the ice. First ice is also dangerous ice. Day to day weather systems have a dramatic impact on ice conditions. I have a 4 & 7 year old. I will not take them until there is at least 5″ of solid ice.
The transition period of first ice to mid winter typically lasts about a week. The previously tightly packed schools begin to spread out. Some begin short migrations to nearby deeper water. Bite windows begin to close from an “all day” event to sporadic activity throughout the day. The bite itself also becomes more and more neutral or subtle. Aggressive strikes are few and far between.
Midwinter session. We are in the mid winter pattern as I type. Perhaps the most difficult of all sessions throughout the year to catch fish. Fish are spread out. For large chuncks of the day most float around in a comatose like state largely in part because of depleted oxygen levels. You see, the once green and lucious weed beds that attracted fish during the late Fall and early ice period now repel them! As the weeds die they begin consumming oxygen versus making oxygen. For midwiter panfish trips I typically downsize my tackle. The 4lb line gets replaced with 2lb line. The 10’s and 12’s CJ&S jigs are replaced with 14’s and 16’s. A sensative spring bobber or sentative rod tip is as close to “a must” that you can get for bite detection even with a flasher. The alternative is to fish with a camera down the hole & pointed right at your presentation. The bite windows themselves are generally very short and neagtive in nature. Couples hours at dusk or dawn. Perhaps a mid-day flurry. Hardly ever the same day to day. One day you catch a descent mess in a 30 minute window at dusk. The next day, same spot, same profile, same time….and you don’t mark a fish let alone get bit.
Negative/Neutral or Aggresive strikes.
An aggressive bite is best described as the fish will strike when the jig is falling down the water column. You can typically “feel” an aggresive strike with a semi sensative rod and definately “see it” on the rod tip or spring bobber. If fishing crappie, a lot of times, the line will merely stop feeding down the hole. It’s as if you are “on bottom” or obstructed. It’s diffiuclt to see a response to the strike in a spring bobber or sensitive rod tip. You see the fish is feeding up. When the strike occurs ~ it’s not “pulling” downward or to the side which causes the action you see in a twitching spring bobber. It’s difficult to feel because it’s weightless. If dead sticking the presentation ~ better have the rod secured to a bucket or within arms length with the ability to reach the rod with in seconds of an aggressive strike. You risk losing your rod if you don’t. During an aggressive strike a fish can “hook themselves” but setting the hook for good measure is good idea. A negative strike occurs when you are working the jig back upwards in the column. The bite is subtle. Very difficult, if not impossible to “feel”. A spring bobber or sensitive rod tip will do nothing but “twitch”. You usually have one twitch or one chance to set the hook. Ditto in terms of spring bobber/rod action on a dead stick presentation during a negative bite window.
During a negative bite, which so often accompanies the mid winter session ~ the best advise I can share is changing up profile’s frequently. Color can make a difference from fish to fish. Going verntical or horizontal can make a difference from fish to fish. Profile size can make a difference from fish to fish. It’s also important be as mobile as possible in order to stay on top of relatively active roaming fish. The good news is the ice sheet has bulged to 10+ inches lowering the safety risks associated with ice fishing. However, it’s NEVER safe to assume all ice conditions are uniform and it is completely safe no matter where you go. Springs can alter ice dimensions during any session of the hard water season. Mid winter is difficult to keep the attention span of most kids. Especially on colder days in which you almost have to stay hunkered down in a warm shanty. To consistently catch fish during the midwinter session you need mobility, patience, and a relatively high concentration level. It’s hard (at least with my kids) to employ all three.
The transition peroid from mid winter to late ice typically lasts a couple weeks. Much longer than the transition from from first ice to mid winter. Fish are beginning to school back up and stage for the upcoming spawn. Large percentage of gills and crappies in my home waters will remain associated with deeper water but bite windows begin to open back up (longer durations throughout the day). Start to experience more aggressive strikes. Most fish are feeding on the first larvae hatches of the year.
Late Ice. Some would argue late ice is better fishing than first ice. I would not argue either way. Fish, especially perch are in full pre-spawn mode within weeks of actually spawning. This is when the real “footballs” of water begin to come topside. Overall fish are schooled back up by late ice. Not as tight as they were first ice, but not as loose as mid winter. They have a tendency to move shallow to feed only to retreat back to the depths in non-active periods. Aggressive strikes are more common. Activity level is increased and bite windows are open for longer periods of the day. Late ice is also a game of hit or miss. Mobility throughout the day is just as critical as mid winter to stay on active fish. Profile presentation is not as important as the mid winter session in terms of merely catching fish but fine tuning can be the difference between eaters and picture takers. Run off melt is “running” back down the hole in the height of the day. Ice conditions are detiorating. With every passing day the safety risks associated with ice fishing increase. My kids do not get out very much during the late ice period for safety reasons associated with the ice. Especially once melt starts accumulating on low grades of the ice. Standing water on ice ~ even 15+ inches of “safe ice” means both will be wet before I get the chips scooped out of the last hole.
Overall, the deployment of a camera down a hole and centered on my kids presentation has really helped to not only keep their interest but heighten it. Packing snacks and keeping warm are musts. Recognize the session or point of the season you are in. Adopt to give your kids the best possible chance to catch a fish. My 7 year old is to the point where he is asking questions. “Dad, why aren’t there no fish on camera”? “Do you think they will start biting soon”? “Can I use a different hook, one like you”? Take the time to explain. Take the time to change their jig. Most importantly ~ when it’s time to go home. It’s time to go home. Even if the fish are all but “jumping” out of the hole.
I think you made the most difficult step forward – asking!!! Every body of water can be different. I assume your seeking panfish. They can be shallow weeds, deep holes, suspended, and so on. Typically on a lake, if you find fish relating to a certain eco system, you should be able to duplicate that elsewhere on the same body of water. 
