This qualitative study examined preschool programs for 6-year-olds in Sweden and the principles underlying children's activities. Ten preschool groups including preschool teachers, student teachers, and children were interviewed about their conceptions of content and methods of working in preschool. The results showed that the program is founded on factors and principles general to preschools, but also on principles that are specific to 6-year-olds. The activities in the 10 preschools were organized in different ways with regard to the facilities and time allocated to the groups. The teachers believed that the 6-year-olds were more capable of abstract thinking, perseverance, deduction, and curiosity than younger preschool children, and that they required a more challenging environment than younger children. The content and methods for working with the 6-year-olds were based mainly on ideas from Froebel's developmental, psychological, and social pedagogy, but were also influenced by the school tradition. The mission statements of the schools were of secondary importance in the choice of content, but are probably more important with regard to the methods of working. Greater emphasis is placed on children's social development in Swedish preschool programs than on intellectual development. (Author/AP)