What should new players try?

I’m gonna play minecraft for the first time since playing it on my iPod touch as a kid where the only mobs were zombies, im not sure if there were even creepers. The game was very plain with out much to do especially since it was pocket edition.

But now I’m sure there’s tones more to do that I have no idea about. Since it’s a sandbox game it’s not very straight forward on what I should try to achieve

So I’d love a suggested list of tasks I should do in the game, more specifically for a new player, I’m not gonna try to fight the ender dragon (I only know about the dragon from watching letsplays as a kid) in my first try playing.

Also any tips would be appreciated!