Physical exercise is one of the key factors to maintaining human psychophysical condition. In addition to the positive effects on human health, which is the most important criterion for the human condition, physical exercise also shows positive correlations with human functional systems, physical development, motor functions, mental health and psychosocial dimensions. In today’s contemporary world which cultivates a trend of sedentary lifestyle, the need for physical exercise is even more pronounced. Physical exercise serves as a preventative tool against many present-day diseases such as increased body mass index, elevated blood pressure, elevated levels of cholesterol, accumulation of fatty tissue, and many vascular and respiratory diseases. Physical exercise decreases neuromuscular tension and thus functions as a great means of withstanding stress and preventing psychosis and depression. Awareness of physical exercise should be promoted already with children, where the benefits of physical exercise are of high value. Physical exercise enables proper growth and development in children. Besides the influence on morphological characteristics and motoric abilities, physical exercise also affects children’s cognitive development, development of the sense of self, and social integration. Physical and cognitive development in children is an inextricable component of maturation. Many researches show that a practice of physical movement encourages the development of gross and fine motor skills, which in itself has a positive influence on the development of speech, reading skills and mathematics. Physical exercise is of great use to children with impaired health as it is an excellent means of rehabilitation, faster recovery, stress reduction in people with disabilities and a means of promoting tolerance and social acceptance. In modern living conditions, physical exercise is characterized by the limitation on time and place of play as well as physical activity in children, a lack of resources and insufficient promotion of awareness about its importance, the importance of a healthy diet and health in general. Educational institutions thus have a great responsibility to instill the importance of physical exercise within their walls, to educate the educational staff and thus provide optimal conditions for children’s development.