The ABC’s Of Salvation For Kids Video – Free Download for Your Ministry

What Are the ABC’s of Salvation?

Many children’s ministry leaders and Sunday school teachers use the ABC’s as a simple way to explain the gospel to kids.

There are variations in how it is worded, but here is how I like to share the ABC Salvation message with kids:

A – Admit You’ve Done Bad Things
All of us have sinned (or "done bad things") – see Romans 3:23. Melvin shares this truth in a kid‑friendly way — complete with a silly example involving Mrs. McGillicutty’s brand new something‑or‑other.

B – Believe That Jesus Died for You
Jesus was punished (or "got in trouble") for all our sins when He died on the cross. Then He rose again so we could be forgiven (John 6:47). Melvin explains it as “Jesus getting in trouble for us — on purpose — so we could be free.”

C – Celebrate That You’re Part of God’s Family
When you believe in Jesus, you’re adopted into God’s forever family (John 1:12). Melvin encourages kids to woot‑woot their way into celebrating that truth.

The ABC’s Of Salvation For Kids (With Melvin the Dinosaur)

Here's one example of how I use the ABC's to present the Gospel to kids in a fun, clear, and Bible‑based way.

I show a short video featuring Melvin 🦖✨, our friendly animated dinosaur who LOVES to share the Good News.

Melvin uses humor, Bible verses, and simple language to help kids understand exactly how they can have a forever friendship with Jesus.

Watch the video here:

Download it free to use in your children’s ministry, Sunday school, or VBS. Get it (plus the kids printable coloring page sheet) here: ABC’s Of Salvation For Kids Video

The Biblical Pattern Behind the ABCs

The “ABC’s of Salvation” isn’t just a teaching tool—it reflects a Biblical pattern of how people have always come to faith in Jesus.

We see this clearly in Acts 16:29–34, where the Philippian jailer encounters Paul and Silas after the prison earthquake.

“The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’” 
(Acts 16:29–30, NIV)

The jailer knew he needed to be saved. Why? Because he (like everyone else) had done bad things (sinned) and needed to be saved from the consequences for those sins. This demonstrates...
➡️ A — Admit you’ve done bad things.

“They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.’”
(Acts 16:31, NIV)

Paul and Silas point him to the only remedy: faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation isn’t earned or achieved – it’s received through belief in the finished work of Christ on the cross. This demonstrates...
➡️ B — Believe that Jesus died for you.

“The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.”
(Acts 16:34, NIV)

The result of his belief? He was "filled with joy" and celebrated with his family and friends over a meal. This demonstrates...
➡️ C — Celebrate that you’re part of God’s family.

In this one short story, we see the same gospel movement we teach to kids today: conviction → belief → joy.

Just like the Philippian jailer, kids today can follow that same simple, Spirit-led path: they admit their sin, believe in Jesus as their Savior, and celebrate the joy of belonging to God’s forever family.

The gospel hasn’t changed and it’s our privilege to share it clearly, simply, and joyfully so children can understand and respond in faith.

Why Use This Salvation Video in Your Ministry?

It’s clear and Bible‑based — Kids hear the full gospel, not just a “be good” message.

It’s memorable — fun animation and humor help kids remember the ABC’s.

It works for multiple settings — Use it in children’s church, Sunday school, VBS, mid‑week programs, or one‑on‑one gospel conversations.

It’s free — No budget meetings required. 🎉

Whether you’re planning a salvation message for kids, looking for a gospel presentation video for elementary students, or simply want a fun way to teach salvation to children, Melvin's got your back. 

Trust me – your kids will not only enjoy this fun salvation children's lesson, they'll really get the main points. There's just something about a silly dinosaur talking in a funny voice that really grabs kids' attention.

How to Use the ABC’s of Salvation Video

Play it during your large‑group time to introduce the gospel in a way every child can understand, and lead kids through the ABC prayer for salvation right after the video.

Follow it up with a short discussion in large-group, or, even better, during small‑group time. The discussion can take place while kids color a coloring page that reviews the information from the video. (The coloring page shown below is included with the free video download.)

Give kids a printable take‑home sheet so families can review the ABC prayer for salvation at home. (For example, try the printable take-home sheets that come with each lesson of the Spyence Curriculum.)

For any children who do put their trust in Jesus, be sure to pass this good news along to their parents. See if they need a Bible and give them a free one if they do. Make sure they have some path forward to discipleship, either via their parents or through a volunteer who can follow up with them regularly.

Get Your Free Download

We want to make it as easy as possible for you to share the gospel clearly with kids.
Click below to get The ABCs of Salvation for Kids Video.

Pro Tip for Leaders: This isn’t just for Sunday morning. Keep it handy for camp devotions, outreach events, or those one‑on‑one moments when a child asks, “How can I become part of God’s family?” 

Best-Practice Guardrails

When presenting the gospel to children, our goal is to present the truth in a way that is both faithful and understandable.

The following guardrails will keep you on track.

1. Keep the language biblically accurate and age-appropriate.

The goal isn’t to water down the gospel but to translate timeless truth into a child’s vocabulary. Our teaching should match our children's developmental understanding of God, themselves, and the world around them.

Instead of complex theological terms like “substitutionary atonement,” we might say, “Jesus got in trouble for the bad things we did so we could be forgiven.” The meaning stays the same, but it’s expressed in language kids are familiar with.

Jesus modeled this approach when He used simple, concrete images (coins, seeds, sheep, treasure, light) to reveal eternal truths. When we follow His example, we honor both God’s Word and the child’s capacity to receive it.

Pro Tip: When introducing new theological terms, use analogies from kids’ real lives — a broken rule at home, a parent’s forgiveness, a friendship repaired — to connect spiritual truth with a familiar experience.

2. Give kids the opportunity to put their faith in Christ, but don’t be pushy.

The gospel is powerful, but it’s never pushy.

Our job is to create opportunities for children to hear the truth of the Gospel. The Holy Spirit’s job is to bring them to faith in His timing.

That means our role is to invite, not insist. Explain the good news as clearly as possible and then give kids space and time to process what they’ve heard. Ask them questions like, “What part stood out to you most?” or “What do you think it means to believe in Jesus as your Savior?”

This approach honors each child’s spiritual development. It also models how Jesus invited people to follow Him — never through manipulation, but through loving them, sharing the truth, and letting them respond in their own way.

3. Always explain key words—sin, forgiveness, cross, resurrection.

We sometimes assume children know what church words mean, but many don’t. That’s why one of the most loving things we can do is slow down, define each word clearly, and connect it to real-life experiences kids understand.

• Sin is doing bad things. More specifically, saying, doing, or thinking anything that breaks God’s rules and makes Him sad.
• Real-life Connection: It’s like when you know the family rule is “Be kind,” but you hit your brother anyway. How does that affect your relationship with your brother? Not good, right? Sin has the same effect on our relationship with God.
• Forgiveness is when God wipes away our wrong choices and welcomes us back.
• Real-life Connection: Picture how bad you feel after you get caught breaking one of your parents' rules. Then you tell your parents you’re sorry, and they say, “We forgive you.” How much better do you feel? That’s what God does with our sin: He forgives us and keeps on loving us.
• The Cross is how Jesus died when He took our punishment.
• Real-life Connection: Imagine you did something really bad and your parents are about to punish you, but your big sister says, “I’ll take your punishment for you so you don’t have to.” Jesus did that on the cross — He took the punishment we deserved so we could be free.
• Resurrection refers to when Jesus came back to life to show He really paid the price for all of our sins and defeated death.
• Real-life Connection: It’s like when the “bad guys” seem to have won in a movie, and then the hero shows up alive at the end — stronger than ever. Jesus rising from the dead proves He’s the real Hero who can save us and give us eternal life.

Explaining these words in simple terms makes the gospel concrete instead of abstract and helps children build a vocabulary of faith they’ll use for life.

Pro Tip: This is why our Spyence Kids Church Curriculum introduces kids to 52 key theology terms during the year, including justification, sanctification, adoption, grace, and many more, like these four titles for Jesus, each of which is emphasized in one of the Gospels.

Measuring Understanding

How will you know if kids are really understanding the ABC’s? Here are some ideas…

1. Can kids restate the ABCs in their own words — and connect each part to Scripture?

For example, can your kids explain the ABC’s back to you in their own language? You’re looking for something along these lines:

• “A means I admit I’ve done bad things, I've messed up, like Romans 3:23 says.”
• “B means I believe Jesus died for me, so I could be forgiven. That’s amazing!”
• “C means I celebrate, or I’m super-excited, because I’m part of God’s family now.”

If your kids can express these truths in their own words, that’s a strong sign they really understand them.

2. Do kids react with wonder, joy, and/or gratitude?

A younger child might say, “Jesus loves me so much!” An older elementary student might sit there quietly, deep in thought, or express thankfulness in prayer. Look for signs like:

• A sense of wonder when they talk about Jesus.
• Gratitude in their prayers (“Thank You for forgiving me”).
• A desire to tell their friends about how wonderful Jesus is.

Remember, this won’t always look loud or dramatic. Most often, it will show up in a growing interest in the Scriptures, or a growing desire to know God more.

3. Do your kids seem curious and want to learn more?

You might notice kids start asking follow-up questions about God, Jesus, or the Bible.

• “Why did Jesus have to die?”
• “How do we know God hears us?”
• “What happens after we die?”
• "What about people who don't believe in Jesus?"

Curiosity is often the first sign a child is taking the gospel seriously and really trying to understand it.

4. Do you notice a change in kids’ view of their own identity?

It’s exciting to see kids begin viewing themselves through a gospel lens.

You might hear things like:

• “God loves me even when I mess up.”
• “I’m part of God’s family now.”
• “Jesus forgave me.”

This is the heart of discipleship — the gospel shaping kids’ understanding of their relationship to God and their core identity.

Behind the Scenes: Why I Made This Video

Several years ago, Gordon West from Kidz At Heart came to our church and led one of the best children’s ministry trainings I’ve ever attended.

His big warning? Don’t make the gospel more complex than it has to be! Keep it simple so kids can learn and understand the good news easily.

That’s why I love using a clear plan like the ABC’s of Salvation. It keeps me focused on the essentials and stops me from wandering into fascinating but distracting topics — like heaven’s details or where Satan came from.

Gordon also reminded us to explain churchy words kids might not understand — words like sin, Savior, crucify, resurrection, forgive, and eternal life.

Simple gospel. Clear words. Open hearts.

Gordon told us to focus on explaining the crucial information clearly

• God made and loves us…
• But you and I and everyone did bad things, called sin.
• So Jesus, God’s one and only Son, came to earth to die on the cross…
• So that you and I can live with God forever.
  
• [from the Kidz At Heart Training Manual, p.30]

Gordon told us to use a super-simple, super-clear invitation:

• Would you like to become a member of God’s family right now?  You can.
• If so, then you can tell God right now by just repeating this prayer:
  • Dear God, Thank you for loving me.
  • I am sorry that I have done bad things. Please forgive me.
  • Thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay for the bad things I’ve done.
  • I believe in you.
  • I believe that Jesus died on the cross and came back to life again.
    
  • [from the Kidz At Heart Training Manual, p.30]

Last Thoughts:

Looking for a Curriculum that is Fun For Kids and Biblically-Solid? 

Check out our Spyence "Systematic Theology For Kids" Curriculum. It's been called "a formula for spiritual growth in your kids" (Josh Denhart), "a 15 on a scale of 1-10" (Jessi Furlo), and "the best theology curriculum available" (Paul Anglemeyer). 

Learn more here.

Looking for More Creative Gospel Presentations? 

Check out our 10 super-fun ideas for using the Wordless Book.