As Quad said, a basic first programm would be a space inviders clone or something like "super mario".
You can learn how to manage the playercontroll, camera, ...
And if you create a little save game/load game system or a highscore - system for your little game, you can learn a lot at apply the learned thinks from the tutorials.
For example, one of my first project years ago was a clone of "jump and bump" (
Jump and Bump ) THis game is a good example, i think. You have a Highscore, simple playermovement, not too much content but still its great and amusing.