The integer ladder helps children understand negative integers. The ladder is numbered top to bottom from 12 to -5. Here is a PDF file of the ladder that you can use to assemble your own. Have the child use their hand, action figure or small toy animal to “stand” on the rung of the first number of an addition or subtraction equation. For addition, they should climb as many rungs as the second number of the equation to get the answer, or for subtraction they should descend the number of rungs.