The aim of the present study was to test the effect of a biathlon and badminton programme, two activities requiring high cognitive engagement, on attention, executive functions, and visuo-manual coordination of preteens in a school context. We compared these two intervention programmes with a running programme involving aerobic fitness but less cognitive engagement. We hypothesised that badminton and biathlon would improve preteens’ attention compared with running. The intervention programmes consisted of ten 90-minute physical education sessions carried out by middle school teachers and were randomly assigned to each class (badminton, N = 60; biathlon, N = 81; running, N = 52). Multivariate analysis revealed no significant effects on overall performance. However, an exploratory analysis accounting for individual differences in each cognitive measure indicated improved performance in divided attention and Stroop tasks for participants in the biathlon and badminton interventions, with the latter influenced by speed performance. Additionally, action video games were found to moderate the relationship between interventions and performance in the visuo-manual coordination task. For the first time, biathlon activity, which combines running and shooting, was tested in a curricular context and suggested potential benefits for attention, executive functions, and visuo-manual coordination. These findings underscore the importance of developing and experimentally validating evidence-based pedagogical content in physical education while fostering collaboration with teachers and education professionals.