Background Amid the escalating global mental health crisis among children and adolescents, low self-esteem has been recognized as a pivotal risk factor for the onset of psychological difficulties. Developing interventions that are both cost-effective and widely accessible to enhance self-esteem carries substantial public health significance. The present study aims to systematically evaluate the effects of various forms of physical activity on self-esteem in typically developing children and adolescents, and to establish a comparative ranking of their effectiveness. Methods Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were systematically retrieved from PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science from database inception to March 31, 2026. The Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 (RoB2) tool was used to assess the risk of bias. A network meta-analysis was conducted to integrate both direct and indirect evidence, with standardized mean differences (SMD) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) calculated. The surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) was applied to rank the relative effectiveness of interventions. Results A total of 17 RCTs were ultimately included. The network meta-analysis indicated that resistance exercise showed the highest probability of being the most effective intervention for improving self-esteem (SUCRA = 97.8%), and was significantly superior to multimodal exercise, stretching exercise, and no intervention; while its advantages over aerobic exercise and mind–body exercise did not reach statistical significance. Funnel plot revealed no significant asymmetry (low publication bias). Combined with good consistency and low study bias, our findings are robust. Conclusion Resistance exercise, aerobic exercise, mind–body exercise, multimodal exercise, and stretching exercise were all effective in enhancing self-esteem among typically developing children and adolescents, with resistance exercise showing the highest probability of being the most effective. These findings suggest that resistance exercise may serve as the preferred physical activity intervention to promote self-esteem in school, family, and community settings based on current evidence. Systematic review registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD420261364418 , PROSPERO (CRD420261364418).