OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the predictive associations of parental exercise consciousness with the physical activity (PA) status and characteristics of 9-11-year-old children, in an attempt to identify effective strategies for addressing PA insufficiency in children from a parental standpoint. METHODS: The PA rating scale-3 and the Chinese Civic Exercise Consciousness Questionnaire were used to measure primary school students' PA and their parents' exercise consciousness from 361 families in Tianjin, China. The dimensions of exercise consciousness were cognition and identity (CI), sentiment and intention (SI), attitude and willingness (AW), and rights and responsibilities (RR) dimensions. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA with post-hoc test analysis, correlation analysis, and hierarchical regression analysis were performed. RESULTS: First, children's PA increased with age, with boys significantly exceeding girls ( CONCLUSION: Age and gender showed crucial associations with children's PA levels, resulting in distinct preferences and behaviors between boys and girls across various age groups. Parental exercise consciousness of exercise positively associated with the intensity, frequency, and overall volume of children's PA. Enhancing parental consciousness of exercise-related emotions, intentions, attitudes, and willingness may effectively associate with enhancements in the intensity, duration, and frequency of their children's PA, ultimately promoting greater engagement in physical exercise among the youth.