Which prompt would be best for assessing a child's development in print concepts during a read-aloud session?

Choosing to ask the child to show how to hold the book for reading is an effective prompt for assessing print concepts. This prompt encourages the child to demonstrate their understanding of basic book handling skills, such as recognizing the front and back covers, orienting the book correctly for reading, and understanding the sequence of pages. This type of interaction reveals foundational knowledge about print and book structure, which are critical elements in early literacy development.

The other options, while potentially useful in other contexts, do not specifically target print concepts as directly. Summarizing the story involves higher-level comprehension skills rather than print mechanics. Pointing to a favorite character introduces an element of narrative understanding but doesn’t assess the child’s grasp of print concepts. Identifying colors on the cover focuses more on visual recognition than on the physical and conceptual understanding of the book itself. Thus, the prompt about holding the book is best suited for assessing basic print concepts in a read-aloud setting.