Motor competence and physical activity (PA) have been associated with various health benefits as well as growth and development in children. Despite considerable efforts many children, however, are insufficiently active and display poor motor competence. This has, at least partially, been attributed to environmental changes over the past several decades As motor competence provides the foundation for more advanced movement skills that facilitate participation in PA along with the fact that various lifestyle habits are established during childhood, motor development at young ages can have a significant impact on health later in life. Outdoor play is considered an important contributor towards motor development as it provides diverse movement challenges that stimulate motor competence and motivate to engage in PA. Nevertheless, motor competence does not develop naturally; rather it requires instruction and deliberate practice along with feedback in addition to free play. Accordingly, organized sports and physical education appear to be critical to ensure optimal motor development. Activities that stimulate motor development should consist of diverse movement experiences that affect neuromotor development and enhance motor competence. Key characteristics of such movement experiences are task flexibility and variation in difficulty in order to allow children to engage in challenging and manageable experiences. Sufficient practice time is also critical in addition to teamwork. Taken together, motor competence is an important aspect in the development of children that stimulates an active lifestyle. Even though outdoor play incorporates various features that are important for motor development, structured activities are required as well in order to ensure that children reach their full potential.