Crabgrass is an annual....with the first cold spell in the fall, it'll die.
What you want to do is prevent the crabgrass going to seed...which is what you will see next spring/summer.
In southern Ontario the time to put down a 'preventer' is in April to May....a second application can be done NOW..late June.. Such preventer will not kill ALL the crabgrass seeds.....but hopefully will kill most of them.

Remember tho....such preventer of crabgrass seeds will also kill grass seeds. So put off over seeding until the fall when it has a better chance of germinating before winter.

Then in the spring, repeat the over seeding but I'd suggest you put down a one-half to one inch of "triple mix", or a good topsoil or compost over the area, then do the over seeding.
Do this overlaying of topsoil and overseeding EVERY spring....whether you think its needed or not.
This is the one thing that will guarantee you the best turf you can grow.
One thing about lawn seed.
Bad seed will not grow properly in the best of soils......
but good seed will grow in the worst of soils.
So purchase the best grass seed you can afford.
With any weed....they love the sun.....so if you can cause the seed to be shaded, it will not germinate in the best way.
The easiest way to to this is to let your grass grow higher.....3" - 3 1/2".....
Let the clippings fall back down onto the lawn where it will serve as fertilizer. Its a shame to waste alll that nitrogen.

Whether the aeration was needed due to the romping of the children is questionable in such short a time.
Aeration is needed when it has been established the soil has been compacted. If your lawn was used by a vehicle going over it....then yes, it probably can be compacted in a short time.
Myself....I've never had my lawn aerated....in 22 years....but then I've no children to jump up and down on it.....just a dog.
And a dog can do to a lawn things we tear our hair out for.
I'm not boasting.....but I have the best lawn in the neighborhood. And I have no weeds. (to speak of)

You might think to go over the lawn at the present time with a roller.....1/3 filled. See if that doesn't improve the ups-and-downs of the level. Sprinkle lightly before doing.

With any plant.....lawns are just millions of them with their roots that need moisture.
Too much water......roots grow short and the first time a heat spell...(we're in the middle of one now), it can cause problems.
Good drainage is paramount.

But....too little water can do exactly the same thing.
The 1" of water per week is a good rule to follow.....rain notwithstanding.

If you believe the suggestion about over laying of the 1/2' to one inch of topsoil and have questions about how much would be required.....this is the most simple way to figure out how much to purchase.
Anything over one or two cubic yards is usually brought to you by truck and dumped on your driveway where you then move it to where it is going to be used.

Measure the length ..in feet...and the width....in feet...of the area you wish to over layer...giving you square footage.
With this figure you multiply by the depth ...in inches....
then with this figure you multiply times 3.....divide by 1000.
(move the decimal 3 places to the left)
The resulting figure is exactly the number of cubic yards of soil you will need.
eg. suppose your lawn is 25" long....30' wide...= 750 sq'
times....1/2" = 375.....X 3...1125....divided by 1000
equals 1 and a little bit cubic yard.
For 1".....double the amount.....2 cubic yards.