The primary objective of this study was to assess the impact of parent-child interaction and parental control on child cognition in Pakistan.

This was a prospective observational study conducted in 2 governments and 2 low class private public schools in a small district of Pakistan.

Two hundred children (90 male, 110 female), age 7–12 years class 3, 4 and 5 were assessed using McCarthy scale of child cognition. the purposeful educational and interaction time amongst parents and children recorded. Parental control on children was classified as 1= no/very minimal control, 5= very strict control (children with set timetables for study, play and entertainment activities). One way ANOVA test was applied using SPSS 18.

Majority (80.5%) of the parents spent 1–3 hours with their children. (25% = 1 hr, 31% = 2 hours, 24.5% = 3 hours). the cognitive function improved with increased interaction time; however the average scores did were not significantly different in 2 to 4 (median 3 hr) hour interaction times. Only 4 children spend over 5 hours a day with their parents performed exceptionally well in reasoning compared to other children. Improved cognitive function observed with increasing level of parental control (all p values < 0.05).

Three hour parent-child interaction is required to achieve average cognitive score. A pragmatic approach to child education, play facilities and entertainment result in better cognitive score in primary school children in Pakistan. Local studies may be required to generalize these results.