The paper addresses the problem of school-induced anxiety and psycho-emotional stress in primary school students, the relevance of which is due to an increase in academic workload, a decrease in the level of motor activity and a growing number of children experiencing difficulties in adapting to the educational environment. It has been shown that a high level of anxiety negatively affects cognitive activity, educational motivation, emotional state and behavioral reactions of younger schoolchildren, which ultimately reduces the effectiveness of the educational process. The purpose of the article is to theoretically substantiate the use of health-improving physical education as a means of correcting schoolinduced anxiety and psycho-emotional tension. The study hypothesizes that the regular use of health-improving physical education methods can help reduce anxiety, normalize the psycho-emotional state and increase the adaptive resources of young school learners through a comprehensive effect on physiological, psychological, and social levels. The review of current Russian and international studies has identified the key mechanisms through which motor activity influences the emotional state of children. It has been established that regular physical activity helps to reduce anxiety, improve the emotional well-being, develop self-regulation skills and strengthen resistance to stressors. Thus, the expediency of including health-improving physical education in the learning process of primary schools for the prevention and correction of psycho-emotional stress is substantiated.