When you play a game with your friends, and you make a new rule that everyone likes, you might use that rule every time you play. This is like a ‘precedent’. It’s a decision or action that is used as an example for future situations. Just like if you decide to always share your toys in a particular way, and everyone agrees, that way of sharing becomes a precedent.
Think of it like a path in a forest. The first time you walk through the trees, you might not know where to go. But once you find a good path, you can follow it again and again. That path is like a precedent because it shows you the way to go next time.
Or imagine you are building with blocks. If you find a way to stack them up without them falling, you’ll remember that way and use it again. That’s a precedent because it’s a way that worked well before, so you use it again when you want to build something similar.