kid should be priority
not every outing will be action packed and productive
start targeting finicky fish, kid may lose interest
keep him on the pan fish,
act as if every fish he catches is the biggest you seen
if the small fish are biting high and near, teach him how the bigger fish may be under the school of smaller fish or just outside the school,
maybe have your pole as the second pole targeting the bigger fish, cats, bass etc...
kid will get a joy out of outfishing dad,
tackle, keep it simple, those kits that come with the $12 poles are great, and always good to have the extra storage boxes,
as for the reels, they will foul up , just get used to opening them and undoing the knots, dont get frustrated,
have seen plenty of brand new $12 poles and reels in trash cans near fishing spots, always pull them out re-spool them and work fine for kids