Know the major principles!

If you're someone who is really,really new to chess what is really important when it concerns the opening:

1) Internalize and master the major principles behind correct opening play

2) Understand the key ideas and goals behind the openings you are playing

3) Study the main line of the openings 

4) Always play openings in the right spirit that they were meant to be played in 

5) It's important to remember that chess is a game of understanding not memorization if you simply memorize and play lines without knowing their meaning forget it you'll get ripped apart by you're compeition don't do that!

Here's a game I played against a young kid at my chess club in 2008 who did not know the principles of correct opening play this is how you don't play White!

Remember develop sensibly and with a plan!

or how bout teach them solid openings and ffocus on thier purpose

or like you said the principles

In the diagram i focuse on Kings pawn because it is the simplest to play