2 Answers
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By all means, keep him home from school! Family adventures can be enriching experiences. I think you can convey the message that school is important even if you miss a few days of school. Family time is important too. I have a friend who kept her kids home, even called it "playing hookey" with them, for special milestones (for example, getting their driver's license and a celebratory lunch). I plan to do the same with my two kids.
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I'm of 2 minds on this and have done it both ways. I started out feeling more like you say that you do and have progressed to a point where your kid's dad is, but I haven't gone that far yet. Kind of in the middle between you, I guess.
Some of the answer is developmental. Kindergarten is a year of school that can be a transition year. And depending on your child's maturity or interactions with other kids it may be helpful to keep him or her home as often as you say. Certainly for family trips and other adventures. It's true that family is more important than school, and that many great experiences can be much more educational than school is, by itself. However, it is also important for kids to learn that school is imporant, getting there on time is valuable and respectful and that we just go everyday unless there is a really good reason not to. That is, it's a good habit to be in, and you want ot develop good habits like that early. And ... we can do fun, exciting, educational and bonding experiences and trips on the weekend and over school breaks. So they do not need to be mutually exclusive situations. In fact, they probably shouldn't be except in somewhat rare cases.
One other thing, kids get older the material in school becomes more challenging however. I have a 1st grader who finds some subjects mildly difficult, but she is a really bright kid so she learns a lot when she applies herself. However when she has missed a few days she gets really behind and starts to feel added anxiety and stress with the need to catch up. This becomes a bit of a vicious cycle that is tough to break through and get caught up. In fact, my 5th grader is the same. She PREFERS not to miss school unless there is a good reason because of how far behind she gets.
I'm pulling my kids out of school on Monday, by the way. I agonized over it, but I have to go out of town on a trip and I really wanted to bring them with me. We'll see lots of family and hopefully get to visit the Science Museum of Minnesota and learn all kinds of things including a chance to see a travelling exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls. When I was their age I hadn't even heard of such a thing and they'll have a chance to see them face to face. This is what I consider to be a "worth it" educational opportunity.
