Scotland Roadtrip Suggestions

Its well worth signing up to community Facebook pages often local events are posted up.
I have a liking for Tomintoul over in the eastern highlands, but visted Glenfinnian as well as working at Morar Games the last two years.
Out in the hills ,often only an hour from a road are mountain shelters ,Bothies.They make an intetesting enough destination for children.
In the Cairngorms ,while not a bothy ,the former reindeer herders shelter, Utsi's hut, is a pleasant walk.
Its very often possible to see them in their summer pastures if you follow the trail about 1/4mile uphill behind the hut.
The Loch Morlich/Glenmore area has plenty of outdoir distractions

Glencoe is very impressive but the walking tends to on the very challenging

You might consider a visit to Rorthiemurchus (https://rothiemurchus.net/), by Aviemore. This is a convenient stop near Cairngorms.

However, I don't think Aviemore itself is very interesting, so if you want to stay near Cairngorms, consider Kingussie or Grantown-on-Spey). Both are pretty towns.

Other stops in that area that the kids might like (as well as the adults) are Highland Wildlife Park (https://www.highlandwildlifepark.org.uk/) and Highland Folk Museum (https://www.highlifehighland.com/highlandfolkmuseum/). And another place to stop that I found very interesting is Ruthven Barracks (https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/ruthven-barracks/).

Also, consider visiting Pitlochry. The dam there might be interesting for the kids, and there are some great hikes along the River Tummel.

I have a lot of photos from my trip to Scotland in the spring of 2023. Send me a private message and I can send you a link. Maybe you'll get some ideas.

2 nights only effectively gives a day and a bit in a place - don't forget to add on time taken to drive between destinations. 2 nights in Edinburgh isn't very long and there is so much to do there. There is the Castle (don't miss the 1 o'clock gun being fired) and Holyrood House or the Royal Yacht Britannia... . Think about the Real Mary Close tour, or there is the Camera Obscura and World of Illusions.... . Go for a hike up Arthur's Crags. Do a day trip to St Andrews (train to Leuchars and then bus) or go for a boat trip under the bridges to Inchcolm Abbey... It really deservers at least another night or even two...

Use your spare night to break up the drive between Edinburgh and Skye - possibly Glencoe/ Ballacullish or at a pinch Fort William, although the other two are smaller.

Alternatively you may find you need to add a night to Skye - Increasingly places like three day lets in the summer. ALSO make sure you get accommodation booked on Skye well in advance. Many places get booked up months in advance.

Three nights in both Edinburgh and Skye would be well spent.

A 7 year old might enjoy sheep herding or falconry? Depends on what you have at home. Maybe looking for puffins. The Jacobite train? I would have enjoyed all the Neolithic stuff as a kid, but I was(still am) a nerd.

The nice thing about first trips is that there's no control in the experiment, so everything will be beautiful and interesting. Too many things to do with too little time! Very difficult to make bad choices.

Inverness x1, visit Jacobite in Fort William station then drive to Mallaig timed for the train crossing the viaduct to
Portree x3, Oban x2 (Three island boat trip), Edinburgh x3, Inverness x1. You could skip Oban for a boat trip to Isle of Canna (for puffins) from Mallaig, or there are trips from Skye.

Depending on where you're flying from, you could skip the first night in Inverness and drive to Fort William. It's not recommended to drive far the first day after a long flight unless the driver sleeps very well on planes.

Visiting Inverness, Skye, and Edinburgh sort of requires a big driving investment. With only 10 days, you might sacrifice Skye (although I love Skye).

If you decide to visit Stirling, also stop at The Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel, which are close by. If I were you and had such a short time, I'd probably skip Stirling/Edinburgh and stay up north, as you indicated. Loads to see up there. Here is the Highland Games schedule. Hopefully you'll find one with sheepdogs that fits your schedule:
https://www.rshga.org/calendar

I just got back from a trip to Scotland, and I stayed in Aviemore for three nights. I mainly chose it because I wanted to be near the Cairngorms and it was right on the train line, since I wasn't driving. Not the most picturesque town, to be sure. Around Aviemore I visited Loch Morlich, where there's a water sports rental shop for things like kayaks, canoes and paddleboards. I also went to Cairngorm Mountain Ski Area for hiking, which has hill walks and more strenuous climbs depending on ability level. I talked to a couple in the lodge who had come up with their preschooler to walk/hike, so there are definitely things you can do up there with kids.