This is probably a far too late reply since you posted this at the beginning of April, but if I was growing pumpkins for kids then I would go with Jack-Be-Little.
I grow them in my garden every year because not only do they multiply like weeds (at least for me), they also taste delicious. You can use them in pies, purees, pancakes, etc. The best thing about them is their tiny size. They hold a LONG time if you store them some place cool and dry. Some of mine are still edible come spring time!
If you want a quick treat, pop a few in the oven with some butter and cinnamon and each kid has their personal snack.
As far as jack-o-lanterns, I always grow Howden pumpkins for that purpose. I like their uniqueness. Sometimes I get some big round ones and other times I have smaller oval shaped ones. They look great in a row all carved up. It also comes in handy if your kids are of different ages. The older kids can take the bigger pumpkins and the little ones can handle the smaller ones.
I've found growing pumpkins to be simple and straight forward.They are in fact my favorite thing to grow because of this. They aren't overly picky. My only tip would be to fertilize well and always water at the base of the plant. Pumpkins don't like overly wet leaves, that always leads to powdery mildew. I know this because my whole patch was infected last year after a huge flood period.
You should throw either a piece of cardboard or wood under any fruit that emerges to prevent your pumpkin from sitting on the ground and developing soft spots or diseases.
Good luck and have fun!

Thank you so much, Lorelei80! I really appreciate your response. I did already pick out my varieties - I went with Baby Pam for the pie pumpkins and Gurney's Giant Magic for the jackolanterns. I've heard that pumpkins don't respond well to water on leaves and I was planning on setting up some soaker hoses to water from underneath. Thanks much for the tip on the cardboard or wood! What type of fertilizer is best for pumpkins, do you think? I'm also wondering when to plant. The seed packets say, 95 days and 110 days, so I shouldn't need to until June. Except, as you pointed out, they keep for a very long time, so perhaps earlier? When do you sow your seeds? Again, thanks, so nice to get a response from a seasoned pumpkin grower :)