The "big three" are great exercises but I would not recommend squats and deadlifts to someone that has never lifted before. These exercises take a lot of training to develop proper form; this could be discouraging (and dangerous) to a beginner.

Stick with the simple exercises that I listed above (or similar ones) for the first couple of months. After you gain some strength and your body becomes accustomed to resistance training, the more complex exercises will be easier to learn and much more enjoyable.