No sports clubs. No music class. No playgrounds. No friends.
It’s not just school that the children of lockdown are missing, it’s the day-to-day interactions and incidental conversations that teach social literacy.
And whilst many children are clearly impatient to get back to the seomra ranga, others may feel anxious about returning to the exuberance of a classroom after the cocoon of the home.
So, what has been the lockdown effect on the softer but no less essential social skills?
And how can you help?
Food writer Caitriona Redmond and her husband, John, have two children, Eoin (12) and Fionn (9). They live in north Dublin where the boys usually attend Gaelscoil and enjoy an assortment of extracurricular activities, from park runs to ukulele classes.