Motor Skills and Executive Functions in Primary School: An Educational Neuroscience Perspective

School age is a critical period for neurobiological, cognitive, and motor development, during which executive functions, such as working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility, play a central role in learning, self-regulation, and adaptive behavior. Evidence from neuroscience and education suggests that structured and cognitively engaging physical activity can support the development of these higher-order functions, yet the underlying mechanisms and educational implications remain underexplored. This doctoral thesis adopts an interdisciplinary approach integrating neuroscience, pedagogy, and motor sciences to investigate physical activity as an educational resource for enhancing cognitive and executive functions in primary school children. The empirical work includes two complementary studies. The first, an experimental study, examined the effects of a school-based coordination training program on visuospatial working memory and gross motor skills, showing significant improvements in the experimental group compared to controls. The second study used structural equation modeling to explore the relationships among body mass index, motor skills, attention, and physical self- efficacy, highlighting gross motor skills function as a central node connecting physical and cognitive variables, while self-efficacy emerged as a significant motivational factor influencing both motor and cognitive development. Together, the findings support a holistic model of child development in which motor, cognitive, and psychosocial domains are interconnected. Educationally, the results emphasize the value of structured, cognitively enriched physical activity as a tool to promote executive functions. Future research should explore longitudinal effects, individual differences, and neurobiological correlates of motor–cognitive interventions, further reinforcing the central role of movement in primary education.