<p>Given the role of parents in shaping children’s motor behaviors, this study examined the associations between different parenting styles and children’s actual motor competence, perceived motor competence, and intrinsic motivation. The participants were 208 female students aged 7–9&#xa0;years from three randomly selected elementary schools in Babolsar, Iran. Data were collected using the Test of Gross Motor Development-Third Edition (TGMD-3), the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (Deci and Ryan in Am Psychol 55:68–78, 2008, 10.1037//0003-066x.55.1.68), the Perceived Motor Competence Questionnaire (Marsh in J Educ Psychol 84(1):35, 1992), and Baumrind’s Parenting Style Questionnaire. Pearson correlation and multiple regression analyses were conducted using SPSS version 26, with the significance level set at <i>p</i> &lt; 0.05. The authoritative style had a significant positive relationship with actual motor competence (<i>p</i> = 0.001), intrinsic motivation (<i>p</i> = 0.014), and perceived motor competence (<i>p</i> = 0.033). The authoritarian style showed a significant negative relationship with perceived motor competence (<i>p</i> = 0.001), actual motor competence (<i>p</i> = 0.001), and intrinsic motivation (<i>p</i> = 0.009). In the regression analysis, the authoritative parenting style was a positive and significant predictor of actual motor competence (<i>p</i> = 0.001) and intrinsic motivation (<i>p</i> = 0.030). In contrast, the authoritarian style was a negative and significant predictor of all three variables: actual motor competence (<i>p</i> = 0.001), perceived motor competence (<i>p</i> = 0.001), and intrinsic motivation (<i>p</i> = 0.027). These findings highlight that authoritative parenting supports children’s motor development and intrinsic motivation, whereas authoritarian parenting may negatively affect all three developmental outcomes.</p>