Did Children receive Communion in the past?

New Testament times - we don't know.

Early Church - by the 3^rd Century, yes.  Bishops would be the ministers of Baptism, which included the laying on of hands.

4^th Century - Augustine of Hippo's doctrine of original sin encouraged the notion that infants be baptised as soon as possible, to secure their future in heaven.  But the growing size of dioceses meant that bishops couldn't visit very often.  So the local priest performed the part of Baptism that included water and signing with the cross, and the laying on of hands was delayed until the Bishop came.  However, admission to Communion was still associated with the priest's performance of Baptism, not the laying on of hands.

Medieval period - the growing tradition of the ‘real' presence in the consecrated elements meant that the laity were denied the wine, and children sometimes denied altogether.

1281 - Archbishop Peckham decreed that those not confirmed (without good reason) should be barred from Communion.  This was for pragmatic rather than theological reasons.

16^th Century - the Council of Trent abolished the practice of communicating unconfirmed adults and children.

Reformation - Cranmer's prayer book of 1549 emphasised the catechism rather than the formal rite of confirmation for admittance to communion.

16^th - 19^th Centuries - Most Anglicans were admitted to Communion on the basis of baptism and minimal instruction from the parish priest.

19^th Century - Confirmation developed into the gateway to Communion.

20^th Century - the growth of the Parish Eucharist Movement brought the question of children being present at Communion into focus.