How Rural Outdoor Activities Promote Children’s Cognitive Development: Based on the Embodied Cognition Concept in Piaget's Genetic Epistemology

Abstract

The concept of embodied cognition within Piaget's genetic epistemology includes two main aspects: the genesis of cognition is based on the organism's body and actions, and cognition is a process of bidirectional construction through the interaction between subject and object through bodily actions. Based on this concept, this paper explores the impact of rural outdoor activities on children's cognitive development, which is mainly reflected in the following aspects: (1) Rural outdoor autonomous play respects children's agency, reconstructs modern teacher-child relationships, and facilitates the development of children's cognitive abilities; (2) Rural outdoor educational resources are physically operable for children, satisfy the need for physical and mental participation, and consolidate the sensorimotor foundation for cognitive development; (3) The authentic socio-cultural context and natural environment in rural areas stimulate children's positive emotions and intrinsic motivation, furnishing a meaningful context and impetus for deep cognitive learning.