Early life experiences impact children’s cognition and brain development. In this talk, I propose that early language experiences, such as bilingualism, shape how the brain comes to functionally organize Inhibitory Control (i.e., resist distractions, inhibit a prepotent response). The work uses functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure brain activity in bilingual and monolingual infants and school-age children. In the first study, I will present data from children (ages 7-9) who completed a non-verbal visuo-spatial attention/inhibition task. Here, bilingual children revealed a stronger and more active left-hemisphere than monolinguals, that was also associated to greater dual-language abilities. In the second study, I will present data from infants who completed a similar infant-version of the task. Through this work, I plan to suggest that the brain regions necessary for language processing interact with, and re-organize, higher cognitive function mechanisms in the bilingual developing brain. Together, the studies will highlight how lifelong bilingualism impacts the dynamics of brain plasticity during child development. To conclude, I outline future directions where these findings may inform the mechanisms behind language learning and academic activities.