(Parenting) -- Simone's mom reads, sings and talks to him in French. In fact, Melissa Da, a French-American from Baltimore, only speaks her native language to the 2 1/2-year-old. The goal? To raise him to be bilingual. The number of U.S. residents age 5 and older who speak a language other than English at home has more than doubled in the past three decades. Parents like Da and Jennifer Ghurani of Hawthorne, California, are a small part of the reason why. "I want Delila to know where she's from and be able to interact with her extended family," says Ghurani, who's teaching her daughter to speak Arabic.
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The number of U.S. residents who speak a language other than English at home is on the rise
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The earlier children are exposed to a second language, the easier it is for them to pick it up
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Face-to-face language exposure as well as music or DVDs can help a child learn a new language
@placeholder asks extended family to speak only in Arabic to Delila.