Absolute value is like distance from zero.
Imagine you are standing on a number line with zero in the middle and positive numbers on one side and negative numbers on the other. The absolute value of a number is the distance from that number to zero, no matter which direction you are from zero.
For example, the absolute value of 5 is 5, because 5 is 5 units away from zero on the positive side of the number line. The absolute value of -5 is also 5, because -5 is 5 units away from zero on the negative side.
So, you can think of absolute value as a way to always make a number positive, no matter if it is positive or negative. It's like taking off a jacket - you don't care if it is inside out or upside down, you just want to get rid of it!