The study was conducted in Dharwad taluk of Karnataka state during the year 2016-17 to know the influence ofchild factors on cognitive abilities of children from Nali-Kali (Joyful-Learning) and conventional education program in ruraland urban areas. Total samples of 128 school children studying in 4th standard (64 children from Nali-Kali and 64 childrenfrom conventional schools) were selected from eight schools (4 Nali-Kali and 4 conventional) of rural and urban areas ofDharwad taluk. Wechsler’s Scale of Intelligence for Children-III was administered to measure cognitive abilities of childrenin both rural and urban areas from Nali-Kali and conventional schools. The findings revealed that, girls showed higher scoresin verbal tests, verbal intelligence and verbal comprehension whereas, boys showed higher scores in performance tests,performance intelligence and perceptual organization. Majority of first born children scored higher in verbal tests performancetests and cognitive processes in both conventional and Nali-Kali schools of rural and urban areas.