The purpose of the study was to determine whether there were significant mean differences of motives for participation in physical activity between male and female school students and whether there was a correlation between motives for participation in physical activity and amount of physical activity per week period among preadolescent students in Kelantan, Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a primary school in Kelantan. We invited students aged from 10 to 11 years old to fill in the Malay version of the Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale for youth (PALMS-Y-M). Participants completed a demographic survey and the measure of their motives to participate in physical activity. The PALMS-Y-M consisted of 28 items measuring motives of individuals for participation in physical activity. A total of 253 preadolescent students participated in this study. After excluding missing data, there were 204 usable sets of data for subsequent analysis. The majority of the respondents were female (56.4%). All of the participants were Malay. The results of the study showed that males and females only exhibited a significant difference in motives for participation in physical activity in terms of competition (p = 0.001). There were significant correlations between four PALMS-Y-M motives (e.g., competition, affiliation, psychological, appearance) and total hours of physical activity per week. Motives for participation in physical activity play an important role in enhancing frequency of physical activity among primary school students. Thus, it is crucial to motivate preadolescents to engage in physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle.