Final answer:
The minimum age for preoperative teaching depends on a child's cognitive and emotional development. Preschool-age children and five-year-old children show cognitive milestones that can indicate readiness for preoperative teaching. The decision should be based on the child's individual development.
Step-by-step explanation:
The minimum age at which a child is typically considered ready for preoperative teaching depends on their cognitive and emotional development. There are certain milestones in cognitive development that can help determine readiness for preoperative teaching. For example, preschool-age children (around 3-5 years old) can count, name colors, make some decisions, understand basic time concepts, and enjoy pretend play. Five-year-old children generally have a vocabulary of at least 1,500 words, can define words by function, sort objects, count past 20, and recognize and identify coins. The decision of when to start preoperative teaching should be based on the individual child's cognitive and emotional development.