If we are talking an afternoon, or a few days max, maybe the seats are the way to go. But kids are not going to be into it as you are. They need a place to forget about your madness. That would be a trailer. It seems to me you could actually have both, move pannier to trailer, have kids on bike, or move the panniers to the bike, and kids in trailer. At 6, my youngest still does not really get scenery. And the older two were like that also. Basically they aren't getting much from the experience, compared to older kids. My younger kids, up to an older age did not really get the riding part either. Their idea of a long ride is like 30 minutes, and that is a stretch.