My humble suggestion would be a .243. My late uncle was a.gun nut deluxe after wwii. Had an 8mm/06 on a beautiful commercial mauser brought back from germany. He also had a .257 Rogers 40° improved. As be got older he sold both and used a scoped .243 for his northern Minnesota deer hunting. Said he didn't need anything more.
Depending on the size of the kids, there may be a few youth models.around for a better fit.
Good luck, and it's great of you to pass down the love of shooting and hunting.
