Toddlers are to be taught a language while still at nursery.

Some of the children are not yet three, but they will be learning French through songs, videos and puppet shows.

They will be the first in the country to learn a language at pre-school age, and will have lessons at which only French is spoken.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council has given the go-ahead for 14 primary schools to start the project, teaching French and Spanish.

Teachers will be learning too, as many could not speak another language until they started training.

French will be taught through a series called Dinocrocs, designed to make learning fun.

The Dinocrocs are two orange dinosaurs called Hocus and Lotus, developed by the European Commission and specialists at the University of Rome.

The scheme is run by government programme Sure Start. Parents can also join in with the lessons.

Grangetown Children's Centre, near Middlesbrough, will be one of the first to take part in the project.

Centre manager Catherine Pickering said: "The aim is to support the development of communication, language and literacy skills, giving children a headstart when they start to learn French at school."

"We are thrilled to be the first Sure Start programme to use this scheme and we have also got DVDs and CDs for the families to take home for more practice."

Council consultant for modern foreign languages Jim McElwee said: "We are the first education authority in the country to organise this on such a co-ordinated level.

"It's not just about teaching children a foreign language, it is all the activities that fit around it, such as learning to work together and listening to each other - it is a perfect match for the Foundation Stage profile.

"Teachers are learning, too - many of them cannot speak French or Spanish when they start the training."

Council lead member for children's services Councillor Valerie Halton said: "This is a lovely initiative, which is going to benefit hundreds of children - and their parents.

"We are starting young with Sure Start and we are following it through to the primary schools. I am sure everyone is going to reap the benefits, both in the short-term and the long-term."

GCSEs in modern languages became optional last year in a move that angered business leaders.

The number of teenagers taking French and German at A-level fell to a record low this year, despite more students entering for exams overall than ever before.