I highly recommend GameMaker for teaching programming (this is actually how I started programming). The drag and drop interface is easy to understand, while als

I highly recommend GameMaker for teaching programming (this is actually how I started programming). The drag and drop interface is easy to understand, while also being powerful enough to use on real projects. There are even numerous examples of successful indie games that have used GameMaker. It's pretty great for rapid prototyping in game jams as well.